Woruba: the World in a Basket!
by Hakuei Shirei
Summary: A Family with a curse nearly as old as time itself and the girl who will change their lives forever. Meet Jocelyn Martina Bennett, your not-so-typical American girl. This is the tale of and the family that she will one day come to consider her own... Well, maybe. XAU! Original version posted via Murasaki Argenteria; Purely 3rd POV this time around. Name changed Juliana to Jocelyn.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So, uh, yeah. This story's finally being reposted. On a different account. After... er... over two years? ...ish...

B-but hey! At least I have the fourth chapter for the 'original' ready...? Just, er... well... it won't be the fourth chapter after all, hey? See, after trying to edit and revise the original story the first time, I realized something...

Something very important...

..._The chapters were too long..._

So, er, yeah. As you can probably tell, they're being cut down...by a lot... to, like, 2k+ words a chapter? I'm making 2k the minimum, though hopefully no more than 3k at most, so it'll be easier to go over later. Much better, right? And likely to get much more frequent updates... so, er, yeah...

Basically the same story, revised so it's purely 3rd person, and on a different account.

...with 2k or so long chapters. So hopefully you'll all be able to enjoy a revamped story with quicker updates for the most part (depending on how much time I have in the physical world, aha...ha)...

Well, uh, you've been warned? And, ah, about Omake's... they'll probably be posted as separated 'chapters', especially that one super long one that's between 3 and 4... probably the only exception I'll have to the 2k-3k or so chapters, since Omake are just extra's that...don't necessarily fit into the story, so, er... yeah. I'll think of something by the time that portion gets posted. Either it'll be posted here as an omake, or I'll post it separately as a one-shot, cuz, like, hell! It's totally way to slaggin' long to work as an extra chapter... But, uh, still not sure yet, so...er... yeah.

Enjoy this for now, and expect an update pretty soon...or as soon as I finish revising parts 2-5 of the original "chapter 1" of Woruba to be posted here.

Well, I'll shut up now, and I _swear_, no other A/N will be as long as this without _very good reason_. So don't expect anymore of these super-duper long A/N's in the future...

And so, just one thing left to do before I turn this over to y'all (for those of you who're actually taking the time to read this freakin' long Note, anyway).

**_In no way do I own the characters and series of _****_Fruits Basket_****_ or _****_Hetalia_****_ with the exception of series and character paraphernalia that pretty much anyone can buy and own. Above mentioned series (and their characters) belong to their respective owners, and the only things I own of this story are an idea, a writing style, and some_****_OC's._**

Super long Blurb over. Please proceed directly to the actual story. Thanks.

_edit:: finally looked up the actual meaning of Juliana. Our protag is not going to grow a 'downy beard' so I've decided to change it Jocelyn (which I seem to rather fond of as of late), which means "just" or "right", which honestly suits her more, methinks. Anyways, back to the story for those that haven't read it before!_

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**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 1** (Word Count: 2,658; Post Date: 8/19/2014)

* * *

"Uwahhh, it's so warm... Looks like today'll be another hot one..." a slim hand shaded surprisingly warm fawn colored eyes as the onyx-haired girl smiled faintly at the clear sky. Wearing a simply blue tee with faded letters above a caricature across the front and a black skirt with knee-length leggings underneath it, the teenager appeared to be like any other girl her age.

A pair of worn canvas shoes turned so that their owner could look back fondly upon the picture of a rather stunning woman with long obsidian hair, and dark coffee-brown eyes framed by long black lashes. The woman was smiling brightly at the camera, lips painted a cherry red that only seemed to enhance her beauty.

Taking a deep breath, the girl adjusted her trusty old messenger bag, and lightly slapped her cheeks before turning her attention back towards the picture frame. "Well, I don't think I forgot anything," she began cheerfully, now ready to head out into the world! Or, rather, to head off to school. "You'll be in charge again today, mama! I'm off!" she exclaimed, before heading out.

It was here, that any assumption of her being a normal girl could be thrown out the window of the nearest high-rise building.

After all, what 'normal' girl lived in a tent out in the woods upon a mountain and left a picture frame in charge of all her worldly possessions? Certainly not a normal girl!

But then, Jocelyn Martina Bennett, daughter of Antony and Sabrina Bennett was probably the least likely to count as normal. Especially not with the life she'd led thus far...

An Orphan of little over a year, Jocelyn was unselfish enough to not want to cause trouble for her remaining close family. Despite being evicted from the small, two-bedroom apartment she had called home after her mother had died (though thankfully, the landlord's wife had been kind enough to give her plenty of time to pack what important and worldly possessions she had), she still maintained the cheerful demeanor that she had had since the beginning. Jocelyn knew very well, after all, that though her life had not been easy, it wasn't likely to be the worst either, considering that she'd always been able to 'make it out' alright.

In fact, despite her hardships, she still considered herself 'lucky' enough as it was. After all, there was always someone who was worse off, right? Well, even if it weren't true, it was just her nature to continue on with such an optimistic mindset...

Anyways, continuing on.

As she walked down the path she took to school, the onyx girl managed to spot a house, normally in too much of a hurry to notice the structure. And though it wasn't exactly normal, it didn't look too strange, either. What with the eclectic mix of both European and Asian architecture clear to see, especially from the path she took.

Curious of the house that sported the Japanese patio and sliding doors that she'd only ever seen before within the manga that Rei liked to read, she wandered closer for a better look without a second thought.

As got close enough for a better view, she could only be awed at the peaceful scene. One of the sliding screen doors -was that made of paper?- had been left open, revealing a kotatsu in what looked to be a living room. It was such a peaceful scene.

_'Oh, how cute!'_ she thought, noticing a bunch of little clay figures drying out on the deck, a map of the world with little pins on it keeping it in place on the board behind them. Entirely unassuming and unaware of the fact that _someone_ had to be living on the property that she had just effectively trespassed on.

_'Is that an eagle?' _she blinked. The little figurines seemed to be of animals, none of which was a zodiac or specifically themed as she stared at the various figures with some awe. There were birds, various mammals, and assorted sea creatures as well from what she could see.

In fact, most of the creatures, from what she could tell, had the name of a country pinned under a section of it. Were they the National Animals of the world's nations? She should could only wonder, taking in and mentally ticking off the ones she knew, only to notice that some were missing as well, so perhaps not _all_ of them.

There were what looked to be different types of Eagles (the only difference so far being color and size), at least one rooster, some horses, bears, and bison... a bull, different cats of the feline species, and-

"_Mon dieu!_ What's this? I must be seeing things~~!"

"Oh!" the girl stifled a squeak, a startled look on her face as she looked up at the source of her surprise.

"_Une belle demoiselle_, out here? My, my..."

Jocelyn blushed at the visage of a rather handsome looking man with baby blue eyes, shoulder-length dirty-blonde hair that was only loosely tied into a ponytail at his nape, and just enough facial hair to seem like he'd yet to shave for the day. This fact seemed to be supported by the fact that he was only wearing a fluffy blue bathrobe tied messily at the waist, loose enough for it to hang loosely on his shoulders and revealing a pale chest and...

W-Were those...boxers...?!

"E-eh? Ah...er...H-Hello! Uhm, I'm really sorry about trespassing it's just...I was...I saw these cute figures and-" freaking out a bit, she could only cry mentally, berating herself for looking like such a fool. There was no doubt that she had to have leaves and whatnot stuck in her waist-length black hair from the 'shortcut' she'd taken in her haste to get a closer look at the building and the figures -well, without compromising her attendance, of course!

But oh gosh, there had been someone there? Jocelyn was so embarrassed...

The man, however, simply chuckled, a rose (and just where did that come from? She was sure that hadn't been there before!) in one hand, and a rolled-up newspaper folded and pinned under his arm with the other. He gave her a charming smile, half hidden under the rose that she could (still) swear had appeared from nowhere.

"Oh, go on. Please, go ahead and look all you wish, _oui?_ I was but merely setting them out here to dry, you see~"

Blinking at his accent and the liberal use of french that peppered his speech, as well as his odd... demeanor... (and was it just her, or was his robe 'conveniently' slipping enough to show off more of his upper body? Whether he was doing it intentionally or not should probably have also been called into question, as his robe slipped enough to show off a smooth white shoulder as well.)

It was just a little hard to understand just what he was trying to say as he hummed and continued on.

"Although... you know, I thought you _gens jeune_ were bored by such things...?" he asked, "Especially those _geographie comme_...?"

"Eh?" she blinked, causing him to blink in turn, the rose now touching his lips lightly.

"Ah, did I use _Francois?_ My apologies, _mon chere._ I meant that 'I thought you young ones were bored by such things geography related'?" he smiled.

"O-Oh! Oh, no, I... I mean it's true that's I'm not the best, academically speaking, but..." Oh dear, she blushed, mentally berating herself for revealing her weaknesses so easily. How embarrassing. "Uhm, I r-really love things animal related s-so...and, uhm, c-countries are very interesting as well! I mean... there...there are so many different types of cultures and foods...languages...symbols...b-but we're all the same!" she continued, unconsciously beginning to smile at the thought, "We're all the same inside, after all... we're all still people of the world!"

"Oh...?" How interesting. The man blinked, thoughtfully studying the girl with new eyes. "Is that so..." he murmured, a slow smile growing as he seemed reached some unknown conclusion. "So? What do you think?" he asked.

"Eh?" she blinked, tilting her head slightly at the sudden question as he grinned.

"What do you think of the figures?" he clarified.

"Oh!" she blushed again (Ohoho, how cute~ he thought). "Uhm, w-well, I think they're very well made..." she started, before hesitating for a moment. "But..."

"But?" he prompted, raising a single blonde brow in question.

"Uhm, well... It...It looks like you didn't make the 'Lion'..." she pointed out the first thing to come to mind, a sheepish look on her face. She wasn't quite sure what had compelled her to bring it up but...

"Oh? You mean..._l'animal national de Angleterre_...?" he asked, surprised by the observation.

"Er...yes...?" she guessed, not quite sure whether he meant what she was thinking or not. Hopefully she hadn't guessed wrong (she was guessing it meant 'the national animal of England'), though how she knew this sort of thing... That is, she _had_ mentioned that she liked animals. And it was so much easier to remember countries if she linked them to their animals... Especially the 'world powers', among other things (Though World Powers were easy enough to remember by themselves as was).

"Though...I guess I really shouldn't be surprised if you consider the 'history'..." she mumbled without thought, recalling how her mother had taught her to remember the Nations amongst other topics and things as well. She could be rather dense as well, but...well, at leas the stories helped? ...Sometimes...

_"England was the only Nation under 'God' that didn't completely follow the 'rules', you see. Since he tended to use 'magic' that could be associated with the Devil..." _her mother had told a wide-eyed and much, much younger version of her self.

_"Eh...but isn't that bad...?"_ she had asked, innocent eyes wide at the thought.

_"Hmm...well, since he didn't exactly fit in with the side of either 'God' or the 'Devil', he was really of neither side..."_ her mother had explained.

_"Eh... but that's so sad...!"_ she had exclaimed, _"That's it! I'll stop being American and become British!"_

Her mother had laughed, amused by the thought. After all, she couldn't exactly just change her nationality overnight! Though there were, of course ways to do so...but that could wait for when she was older and understood more of the world...

Jocelyn smiled sadly in reminiscence, causing the Frenchman to blinked questioningly. "You are...alright, _oui?_" he asked, almost hesitantly as she startled back into the present.

"Eh?" she blinked, blushing when she realized that she had spaced out again. "Oh! I'm sorry! I was just... I remembered... You see, my mom used to tell me stories to help me learn. And there was this one story about the Nations, and how they had 'feelings' and were people as well!" she grinned, a sheepish expression on her face. "I... kinda believed it...and I'd actually wanted to be British when I was younger," she laughed. "Silly, isn't it?"

"Hoh?" he blinked, did she...perhaps...know the tales of the 'Curse'...? he wondered, before shaking the thought from his mind. No, there was no way! And it wasn't like she'd mention anything about the animals or...

"See, there was also this one story about the National Animals of different countries," she continued, unaware of the Frenchman's wandering thoughts. "It was about how England ended up choosing the Lion, but everyone thought he was so proud...and they started to ignore him..." she continued, seeming to wilt as she remembered how sad it had been -and still was- to the younger her, as she attempted to summarize one of the many stories her mother had told her (This one for the sake of helping her remember countries and their national animals, rather than history or specific geography or their relations).

The blonde froze. _Or...perhaps she does..._ he ended up thinking, sweating slightly though he motioned her to continue, trying not to show his thoughts so clearly.

Jocelyn nodded, still unaware of the blonde's thoughts. "See, England used to be reaaaally powerful before America, right?" she asked rhetorically as he nodded, "Well, after that, since not many nations liked how powerful he was-"

"...he...?" the man blinked.

"Oh, er...well, I...I guess that is kinda sexist..." she blushed, "I've always kinda seen England as a guy, though...even with such great Queens..." she grinned sheepishly. "Oh, but I'm getting off-track again, ahah... Sorry," she apologized, "I tend to randomly go off sometimes..." she admitted.

"Oh, _non, non!_ It's quite fine, really~ I do so at times as wel-" he started, before a bag landed on the man's head, causing her to notice that he'd ended up crouching so that they were closer in height at some point. "-l..." the blonde trailed off as their attention was taken by the recent arrival.

"Honestly, Francis-_san_, must you be such a pervert?" a quiet voice asked, "And so early in the morning, too," the newcomer added, sounding somewhat annoyed by the fact.

"Eh..." Jocelyn's eyes widened in surprised at the familiar face. It was the so-called 'Prince' of their school (not to mention town, she was sure). It was a bit shocking, the difference in personality that was presented now.

"Oh! _Mon beau visage-!_" he exclaimed, rubbing his poor, beautiful face. "What do you have in there, Kiku! _Un dictionnaire?!_" he pouted, sulking childishly.

The slender onyx-haired boy simply sighed, as if used to such things. "I have _two_, actually," he answered, completely unfazed and apparently translating the other's french without having to think too much about it. (And there was something new, Kiku could understand french! she thought.)

"...?" Meanwhile, Jocelyn, who had absolutely no experience with the French language (aside from the few obvious and typical words that everyone somehow knew, like 'non' or 'oui' or 'mademoiselle' and the like), could only guess at what he'd spoken. Er, well, other than the 'un dictionnaire' part which she figured had to mean 'dictionary'...

What? She did have some common sense...!

...Really, she did.

"My apologies... Bennett-san... My... cousin... didn't do anything to you, did he?" the Japanese International Student turned to her, taking a moment to recall and attach her name to her face.

"E-eh...?" she started, as 'Francis' pout, protesting his 'innocence' all the while...and was promptly ignored.

"Oh, uhm, n-no! And, uhm, G-Good Morning, Kiku!" she flushed, feeling rather frazzled at not only seeing the SGO President of their grade so early in the morning, but smiling at her as well. (however slightly. And _no_, she was not a fangirl!)

"Hmph! must you always make me out to be such an _apostat?_" Francis grumbled. He was not a pervert! He just...appreciated...beauty when he saw it. Yes, that was it. He appreciated beauty!

"... Good Morning," Kiku smiled, ignoring the pouting Frenchman, though he did end up 'discreetly' kicking the man in the leg for the clearly false comment.

"-!" Francis huffed, shooting a glare at the normally mild-mannered Japanese, though he immediately began smiling when Jocelyn tilted her head slightly in confusion, wondering if something was wrong.

It seemed today was going to be an odd day after all, she thought, recalling her horoscope for the day (and yes, she did believe in horoscopes, if only because her mother had taught her about them)...


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Aha...haha... Remember when I said quicker updates? Didn't really expect the next to be so soon... hehe...

Then again, didn't expect to end up sick today...oops? So, since I've got all this free time and a pounding headache, I thought... Why not? Once the aspirin kicks in and I don't feel as horrible, let's work on fanfiction! ...yes, what a wonderful idea, right?

Anyways, just a quick warning to all, None of my chapters (or stories) so far have been beta-ed so if you see something missing or wrong, please let me know so I can fix it.

Also, I have yet to learn French, so I've been forced to rely on Google Translate in the meantime. If anyone is fluent in french or knows a good English to French translator, that'd be awesome. Though it's amazing how much language you can learn from attempting a story with multiple language use in it...

Anyways, Don't Own Furuba/Fruits Basket or Hetalia. They belong to their respective owners.

Enjoy. I'm off to scrounge up more aspirin and maybe take a nap before I do anything else...

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**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 2** (Word Count: 2,106; Post Date: 8/19/2014)

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"JOCELYN BENNETT!" a group of girls surrounded the poor, startled female. "YOU BETTER EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" they glared.

"E-Eh...?" she blinked, too surprised by the sudden 'attack' to really defend herself.

"Well?!" asked the leading girl of the group (which consisted entire of Kiku's fangirls, a.k.a. members of the 'official Kiku Honda Fanclub'). Before she could even open her mouth to attempt to say anything, however, the girl continued, practically frothing at the mouth and ranting (though that might had been an illusion). "Why the hell did you and_Kiku_ come to school together?! You better give a full and total explanation!" she raged.

"Yeah!" "That's right!" "Full and _complete!_" the other girls added.

Jocelyn didn't dare point out that 'full', 'total', and 'complete' all amounted to basically the same thing.

"Well?!" the leader of the small group asked, glaring right into the poor girl's face.

It was a look that would make the Demon of Wrath envious.

"I-I... It was just a coincidence...!" she squeaked, sweating bullets at the group's overreaction. "D-Don't you think you might be o-over-reacting a bit...?" she wondered, backing a few steps in anxiety, voice soft compared to the harpies that surrounded her.

"Why you-! Overreacting?! If _coincidences_ like that were legal, THERE'D BE NO SUCH THING AS POLICE!" she exclaimed, practically screaming the poor, confused girl.

But seriously, what did Police have to do with any of this?

"HEY! DON'T SCREAM IN THE HALLS!" warned a random student...in said halls.

The warning was ignored.

"Look," the preppy girl hissed, "_Just_ because Kiku's so kind as to 'hang out' with you is no reason to get a swelled head!" she exclaimed.

"B-But...I'm not...-!" she started, backing away from the jabbing finger in her face.

"Hey, you!" called a girl with shoulder length maroon (yes, maroon) hair, appearing behind the 'small crowd' with a scowl and a look that gave them goose-bumps, as she and a platinum-haired girl glared down (in the brunette's case, anyway. The silver-haired girl was about a head or so shorter than her) at them. "She _told_ you it was a fucking coincidence, didn't she?! Why don't you суки (suki/bitches) stop _fantasizing_ and get a damn _life_ already!" she growled.

"M-Morissa... Rei..." Jocelyn sweat slightly, though she still raised a hand to wave at the two familiar godsends.

"Wh-What the hell!" the blonde (leader of the fangirl group) was sweating bullets despite the fact that she was trying to act like she wasn't scared at all. "H-How dare you threaten us! W-we're not scared of you!" ...Nope...not at _all._ The girl exclaimed even as the rest of the group started backing away, just a step. "D-Don't think we're though just cuz of the gangster-girl!" they warned their almost(?)-victim.

"W-what are _you_ staring at, freak?!" one of the girls demanded, noticing the platinum-haired girl's stare.

"..." Rei didn't respond, continuing to watch the suddenly meek girls, eyes becoming shadowed as she continued to glare down (or appeared to, considering they were about similar heights) at them with a 'how dare you speak to me/us like that, you scum (who are unworthy to even lick the bottom of our shoes)' air for all that her expression continued to remain as neutral and apathetic as always.

"...I could always, curse them..." she started to say, mumbling all the different sorts of curses that she could probably use on them, causing the girls to scream and run away, expressions of terror on their faces.

"Y-You saved me..." Jocelyn sighed, mentally relieved as she was pulled into a hug by the tallest of the group.

"Che, those суки (suki/bitches)..." Mori grumbled, hugging her 'poor little Jo' affectionately. "Rei, don't actually curse them," she added after a moment, seemingly as an after-thought.

"..." Rei said nothing, though they all knew she wouldn't _really_ do it.

...R-right?

* * *

"Oh, you are in _jeune_ Kiku's class?" Francis asked cheerfully.

Kiku sighed.

"P-pleased to meet you! My name is Jocelyn Bennett -but you can call me Jo or Lyn if you'd like!" she told them, nodding in response to Francis' question.

"..." Kiku remained silent until he thought of something, something important. The other two turned their attentions to him questioningly as he spoke up. "Oh, Bennett-san, this reminds me... What exactly are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, er..." Jocelyn blushed, "Uhm, w-well, I live pretty c-close by, so...!" Well, it wasn't exactly a lie, now was it...?

Technically speaking, anyway.

"Near...here...?" both males blinked, unwittingly speaking at the same time as they stared.

"_Est-ce possible_...?" Francis murmured thoughtfully. Kiku was barely able to even hear the question, deciding to let it go for the moment. There were more important things to think about at the moment.

"...Well...in any case, it seems we'll be late if we stay much longer," Kiku piped up, "And since you're here, shall we walk together?" he asked.

"E-eh? Oh, uhm, sure!" face flushed, she said her goodbyes to Francis and followed Kiku.

* * *

"I was so nervous!" she admitted, once she finished explaining what had happened to her friends. "Kiku is really good-looking, so...

"I...I just ended up freezing up," she admitted, a light blush dusting her cheeks as she spoke.

"...Is that so..." Rei murmured, studying the gleaming knife she held as she spoke. "His aura _does_ give off a rather strange 'vibe'..."

"Hoh~" Morissa grinned, "his _aura_, huh~?"

_Seems it's time for another of Rei's 'psychic reports',_ she thought, ears sharp. Rei's 'readings' on people were typically very accurate after all. Not to mention fun... Well, in_her_ mind, anyway. After all, she could use it as blackmail at times if needed. It was always good for a 'favor' or two...What? She _was_ an ex-gang member. She wasn't exactly above extortion...

Well, that, and the fact that Rei rarely spoke up unless she felt she needed to.

"...Odd...?" Jo blinked, tilting her head quizzically as Rei re-sheathed the spotless kitchen knife.

"Yes," she said absently, "...I honestly don't know how else to explain it."

The ex gangstress rolled her eyes, "What's there to explain?" she asked, "The guy's a fucking(-" "'Rissa!" "Ah, sorry Jo... But anyways, like I was saying, the guy's an) enigma. He never really talks about himself either," she reminded them before pausing. "Not that I really or particularly care, mind you._  
_

"But anyways, I heard some Senior actually confessed her... _love_..." 'Rissa practically spat the word out, seeing as people used the term so damn _loosely_ that she felt it had lost much of its meaning. "And when she tried to grab his hand, he actually _flung_ her away. Totally freaked the суки/suki out," she continued, remembering not to curse in English this time so that Jocelyn couldn't reprimand her (mostly because she didn't know exactly what it meant, even if she could guess...).

"W-wow..." she sweat slightly at the story, "I didn't know that...!" she exclaimed, eyes wide, "But...I wonder why...?" she murmured questioningly.

"Well" Rissa shrugged, not particularly caring about the _why_. It was simply an interesting bit of gossip she'd picked up, after all. "Whatever it is, it's interesting," she admitted.

Rei nodded, "It's the mystery that makes him so intriguing..." she agreed.

"Yeah! 'xactly!" Rissa grinned.

"Hey, you three! Stop gabbing and get back to coo-" the Culinary Teacher blinked, sweating slightly as she saw the girls' completed 'projects' (aka: their lunches). "Ah..." she could only stare what seemed to be a speedy creation of a wonderful looking meal laid out on the girls' assigned table (similar to those 'professional' kitchen counters that can be sat at, like Culinary Colleges usually have).

"Oh yeah. Can we f-" she started before trailing off at Jocelyn'a frown and the teacher's glare, sweating slightly as she decided to change her word choice. "Uh... 's it alright if we eat now, or what?"

The woman twitched, "Just who do you think you're fooling, Margrett?" she asked, annoyance radiating from every pore despite the sudden smile she had fixed at the maroon-haired girl. "Ryuuzaki and Bennett probably did most of the work again, didn't they?" she asked, twitching sporadically as she loomed over them.

Rissa rolled her eyes, "What do you care?" she asked, "'s not like this a required or academic class or shit..." she pointed out, only adding more fuel to the fire.

Well, there was a reason why the teacher seemed to have a grudge against the tall girl.

"R-Rissa...!" Jo sweat.

"...The potatoes are done," Rei spoke up, almost as if there wasn't a staring/glaring match going on between their friend and their teacher as she pulled the baked potatoes out of the oven to begin unwrapping them.

"..." Maybe it'd be better to just give up for now, Jocelyn sighed. "Aha...ha..." she sweat slightly as the teacher forced herself to calm down and stalk off before she did something...inappropriate...in front of the students. Like, oh, say...perhaps...killing a certain maroonette student of hers...?

The girls were quiet for a moment as they concentrated on peeling the aluminum off the potatoes for one of the side-dishes of their planned meal.

"Ah! That reminds me. Jo, me'n Rei are planning to go shopping before we go home today. Why don't you-" Rissa started before pausing. "Oh...wait, you've got work after school today too, don't you...?" she sweat, remembering the shorter girl's schedule.

"Yeah, sorry guys. I really don't want to be late..." she apologized.

"Man, that sucks..." Rissa sulked.

After another moment of silence, Rei spoke up as well, attracting the other two's attention. "That's true... You...have to pay for school, and then college after this, as well as whatever other expenses you have..." she pointed out blandly, completing the plating of the food and portioning everything evenly (though there may have been just a little extra on Jocelyn's plate) as she responded to the questioning looks they'd sent her.

"Ugh, yeah. You really shouldn't have to do all that, though..." Rissa scowled, passing one of the trays over. "I don't think it's right that you have to work everything just to pay for that, let alone necessities..."

"Hmn...yes, but... I really want to be able to 'pay my own way' after graduation, you know? That's why I've got to start saving now!" she pointed out.

"Ahhh, _Черт возьми (_chert vozʹmi/goddamnit), Jo!"

"Ah! Y-yes...?" Jocelyn jumped, startled by the sudden exclamation.

"You're making me cry~!" she told the girl, and true to word, tears were forming in her dark eyes though they refused to fall. Ris (pronounced: Reese) sniffed, "Eat up, Jo! You'll need your strength!"

"Er...y-yes ma'am..." Jo sweat at the declaration, though she smiled and took the tray nonetheless. The group settled into a comfortable silence as they sat at their self-designated seats.

"...Hmn..."

Rei and Jocelyn used a set of chopsticks they kept in their assigned drawer, while Rissa used a fork and -since they didn't allow any _actual_ knives aside from the kitchen knives) a plastic knife.

"Hey, you're still living with your dad's family, right?" Rissa asked after shoveling some food into her mouth (and after chewing and swallowing, of course).

"Y-yes!" Jo exclaimed, started by the sudden question. A slight squeak in her voice, though she tried to hide it, and her nervous. She couldn't exactly tell them she wasn't living with her grandfather at the moment, after all.

Rissa's eyes narrowed. "They're feeding your properly, right? And they're not cheating you out of your hard-earned money, are they?" she demanded.

"Erhm..." Well, she couldn't exactly tell her the truth! she thought, sweating bullets.

If she knew that Jo was 'living it rough' in a tent in the woods, Rissa would be so pissed... She'd probably break into her poor grandfather's house!

Needless to say, she was panicking -just a bit- mentally, as she tried to find a way not to outright lie to her friends...


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Naps are wonderful, wonderful things when you're ill... And it's much easier to re-read and edit chapters when they're so short -w- Three chapters already, in one day! I can definitely see the appeal now...

Anyways, have the next portion, I've finishing double-checking it. There's a hidden secret in this one by the way. I wonder if you can find it~~?

Disclaimer: See previous chapters.

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 3** (Word Count: 2,405; Post Date: 8/19/2014)

* * *

Walking down the near-empty halls, Jo thought over her day. First, Second, and Third periods had gone as usual seeing as she didn't share any of those classes with either of her two best friends. They _did_ share homeroom for some reason (despite the fact that their last names were so spread out among the alphabet... though, that may have had more to do with random drawing in an attempt to keep the homerooms 'even' in size).

Although, her World History partner, Matthew, had been missing for a while now, so she'd had to work on their project alone. Strangely enough, however, no one seemed to notice that said student was missing...huh.

Anyways, Fourth had been a shared Culinary Class, though it was 'special' compared to most of the other Culinary classes since it was a class specially for those that preferred to 'make' their own lunches rather than simply packing a lunch or buying one from the school's cafeteria. Students with special 'circumstances' were allowed to take that exact class as well. It was a 'special' class that took up two periods, either before and during or during and after one of the official lunch periods.

After Lunch, she had P.E. with Rissa, then a Science and Health class unless it was a Friday, the assigned lab days, which would then replace the Health class with a Lab. This class, she shared with Rei.

The only reason she -and Rissa- still had gym despite the fact that they were Juniors, was mainly due to the fact that, for Rissa, she had skipped far too many times to pass, while Jo...well, let's just say that she held a naturally low score in that class... something that happened mainly because of her somewhat clumsy nature.

Really, the only reason Rissa hadn't skipped this time around was not only because she now shared the class with one of her friends, but also to keep an eye on the rather ditzy girl.

As Jocelyn continued walking, intent on getting to her assigned locker, she was broken out of her thoughts by the sound of another locker shutting nearby.

"Oh!" startled out of her thoughts, she blinked and saw Kiku by his locker, bag in hand. "K-Kiku! I, er, uhm... I'm really sorry about this morning!" she blurted out, bowing apologetically as she shut her eyes.

A light chuckle made her look up, though. "It's quite alright, Bennett-san. Besides, it is I who should be apologizing to you," he pointed out, smiling at the girl. "I'm very sorry for my 'cousin's rudeness," he continued, bowing back.

She didn't correct him when he called her by her last name again, understanding that it probably had to do with his culture. It wasn't like she really minded, anyway... well, not too much at any rate.

"O-Oh no! Please, don't," she started, hands in the air. She herself was half-Asian, so she kind of understood, though she didn't necessarily look it. It did make her a bit uncomfortable, though. "He was being very nice," she promised, panicking a bit. "We were just looking at the animal figurines he made while talking!" she explained.

"Ah, I...see," smiling slightly, he straightened, watching as she pulled a few things out of her locker while replacing then with a few others that she probably wouldn't need. "..._Ano_..." he began as she finished organizing her things and shut her locker. "I... know this might be considered rude of me, but... I-I couldn't help but to overhear what you said this morning..." Kiku spoke carefully, a curious expression on his face as he watched her. "Is it... Is it true that you wished to be an English citizen...?"_  
_

"E-eh...?" Jocelyn's eyes widened, "Y-you heard that?!" she squeaked, flushing in embarrassment. "That's... I mean... I... W-Well, I was... rather... e-eccentric as a child, so...uhm..."

"Oh... I... see," Kiku finally mustered after a moment's pause.

"Uhm... I-is there...something wrong?" she blinked as the quiet male seemed to brood. "...Kiku...?"

Said male blinked, but smiled lightly. "Oh, no. I was just... thinking." The SGO President decided not to voice his thoughts, as per usual, unless he was forced into it.

"Oh. I... I see," she smiled, about to add on when a loud ringing noise made her jump. "A-ah!" she squeaked, startled by the sound before relaxing when she realized it was just her phone.

"Aha...ha... S-sorry, that was... my phone," she explained sheepishly, blushing as she help up the device -a gift from her grandfather- as Kiku raised a single brow in question. Taking a look at it herself, she checked to see just why it was making so much noise.

"E-eh! Oh no, i-it's that late already? Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Kiku! But I've got to get to work!" she apologized, panicking a bit as she quickly silenced the phone. She couldn't afford to be late!

Kiku just smiled and chuckled at her rushed expression. "It's quite alright, Bennett-san. However..." he started, an amused expression on his face as she blinked, stopping mid-spazz as she looked up to him, noting that there was only about an inch or so difference in height between them.

"Eh?" she stilled completely when a hand reached up to pull a leaf out of her hair. And _oh gosh, had that been there all day?!_ she wondered, blushing at the thought.

"I noticed it this morning, but... You're looking a bit paler than usual," he told her, smiling softly as he was wont to. "It's been quite hot lately, so you really shouldn't overexert yourself, Bennett-san," he scolded gently.

"Well," he continued as she flushed and stared, a hand covering her head where the leaf had previously been resting as she watched him leave. "I'll see you tomorrow then," bowing his politely, the boy walked off.

"..."

_'It's the mystery that makes him so intriguing...'_ her friends' words resounded in her mind as she watched him go.

And now, she had a feeling that she understood just what Rei had been talking about, she thought, still blushing as she retracted her hand from the place the leaf had previously stuck itself to.

Ahhh, her head was spinning just being around him! she thought, sweating slightly.

"Don't you dare get a swelled head, Bennett!" several seething voices made her jump, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Wha-?!" she turned, shocked by the...er...fanclub... (stalkers?) that followed Kiku around most of the time.

"You better not take advantage of Kiku's kindness!" they exclaimed, almost as if they were but one entity.

...How scary...

"I-I won't!" she exclaimed, "Really...!"

* * *

_'You really shouldn't overexert yourself, Bennett-san...'_

He really didn't have to worry about her though, she thought. After all, she understood. She really did, but...

Her mother had surely had it so much worse...

_'Jo~~ Mama wants some home-made ramen for dinner tonight~!'_

_'E-Eh...? O-okay!'_

_'Ya-ho~!'_

You see, her father had died when she had still be quite young. Almost _too_ young to remember him, though there were vague memories that lurked just out of reach.

As for her mother, she'd had to work so hard to support them... She was always working, and yet...

And yet she'd still managed to the time to be there for her. Her daughter's cheerful protector.

It had never occurred to her that she could die.

_'She can't possibly stay with us! our house is too small as it is!' 'My parents are staying at ours!'_

_'Wahhh, Mama~~!' 'Oh, hush Lynda!'_

_'...Mama...' _she'd sniffled tearfully, hugging the funeral frame that held her mother's visage.

They'd decided to hold a small, 'traditional' funeral for her, in the style of her previous home.

But there had been arguments. About who would take her in, though she was sure that they all had their reasons!

But since she didn't really have any family other than those on her father's side, there wasn't really much choice of who she'd be able to stay with. And in the end, it was decided that it'd be best if she lived with her grandfather.

But...

Grandfather lived off a pension, and so she'd promised to pay her expenses herself.

That had been a while back, but just a month ago...

* * *

"Ah, Rina..."

"Er... It's Jocelyn, Grandpa... And, uhm, dinner's ready..."

"Oh, thank you, Rina, dear..."

"It's Jocelyn, Grandpa... Let's, uhm, let's just go eat, shall we?"

"Yes, yes, of course... Oh, and Rina..."

"...It's Jocelyn, Grandpa..."

"Hmm...well, you know, my daughter's family is coming to live with us, so... I thought it would be nice to remodel the house before they got here...

"During that time, I'll be staying at their place, but... Rina, I'm very sorry about this, but... Would you possibly mind staying with a friend during that time...?"

Rissa lived in a rather small apartment, and Rei had a family of six...

She couldn't possibly trouble them for however many months it would take for the house to be remodeled...!

"Sure, Grandpa!"

As she thought about it, however...a thought had hit her.

She was going to be living by herself someday anyway, so why not start now? That's right, a person had to make their own luck!

"Wonderful, wonderful...!"

It was all about how one thought about things. Even if it meant having no money and living in a dusty old tent that'd been found in the recycling!

Sure, it'd had to be patched up and cleaned a bit, but it had still been usable...!

* * *

"Uh, hey... could you hurry and move these, please? They're kind of in the way..." a middle-aged blonde with a thin, close-shaven beard called out, staring down at the pile of trash just before the doorway.

"I...can't get out," he continued, sweating slightly at the trash door-stopper.

"Ah! O-of course! I'm so sorry!" Jocelyn snapped out of her thoughts and immediately got back to work.

"Wha- so young?!" the man did a double-take, realizing just how young she looked (and it probably didn't help that she was short for her age, even without the baby face -despite the fact that she was actually 16...soon to be seventeen...). He stared after her, startled.

Jocelyn was oblivious, though, her train of thought back on it's previous topic.

Even if, instead of door-to-door salesmen, she was visited by mosquitoes and stuff! Even if a rainstorm threatened to blow away her tent as it had the other day-!

"I...will never give up!" she exclaimed, a fire of determination bursting forth even as she finished wiping down the last window.

"Ah...work sure has gotten easier since that young lady's come to work here..." an elderly janitor murmured to her companion on their break.

"Yes, it sure has."

* * *

"Hmm... ah, _mon dieu!_ Will you look at the time?!" Francis exclaimed, "I almost forgot about dinner!" the Frenchman sighed, walking alongside Kiku as they followed the beaten path back to the home they currently shared.

"Take-out every night is really no way to live..."_  
_

"...Then why don't _you_ make dinner, Francis-san..."

"_Oui_, I would... but, eh... you dislike my cooking, remember?"

Kiku twitched. "That's because you served _raw snails_," he pointed out.

"As if you can talk, _mon cher_, you served _raw fish__!_ I honestly can not see how they are any different..." the man said airily, wrinkling his 'sensitive' nose as he continued. "Plus that disgusting _green goo_..." he shuddered.

"Besides, _escargot_ is a French delicacy, _vous savez!" _he sniffed._  
_

Kiku sighed, "It's _sashimi_, Francis-san. As for your 'escargot', it may be a 'French Delicacy' but it is highly unhygienic," he pointed out. "Also, wasabi is not disgusting, it is something that's used to keep you from getting sick. From eating the 'raw fish' might I add..."_  
_

"But you always slather it in the stuff, _mon cher_! My _délicat_ taste buds simply can not handle all that _piquant_, _vous savez!" _the Frenchman was pouting now. "Besides...

"What we really need is _une fleur magnifique_ to brighten up our _vies barbares_-!" he announced with a surprising amount of passion...or, perhaps not considering _who_ it was saying that that their 'barbaric lives' needed a 'beautiful young flower'...

Kiku stifled a long-suffering sigh, far too used to the man's...eccentricities...as he suppressed a roll of his eyes. "Well, aren't you progressive, Francis-san?"

It was times like these, that a good dose of sarcasm came in handy, the teen thought, a somewhat uncharacteristic drawl and satiric tone in his voice.

"What? You'd like to have a woman around the house too, _n'est-ce pas?_" he retorted, they were all hot-blooded men, after all! He paused, however, as he noticed a figure.

"Ohoh~ _C'est quoi?_ Is that not demoiselle Jocelyn?" he asked, nudging Kiku as he squint into the distance.

"...Of course," Kiku sighed, of _course_ this would be the case. "You'd remember a _girl's_ name..." but not a guy's unless he came in constant contact with him...

Of course.

"Oui, oui~ I _do_ have a gift for that, do I not?" he smirked, quite proud of the fact.

"...That's really not something to be proud of, Francis-san..." he pointed out, actually twitching this time.

Francis ignored the jab, however, frowning. "It is rather late into _la nuit_ to be wandering around in these woods, though, oui? Does she really live so close by...?" he asked curiously._  
_

"...Well, I did hear that her mother died recently... So perhaps she moved here...?" Kiku reasoned. "But...that's...not really possible, is it?" he asked, frowning as he turned back towards the Frenchman. "We're not renting this land to anyone...are we?" he asked, looking up at Francis, who simply shook his head in response.

"..." The two males exchanged a look.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Please note that some of the words are not italicized, meaning they've probably been used in previous chapters. They might even be used a lot later as well, so... yeah. Also, changed some terms and not using some words that were used last time.

Making this story purely 3rd Person Perspective is turning out to be just a bit harder that I'd originally thought it would be, though... So if something seems off or doesn't make sense please don't hesitate to let me know! If it's something will definitely be covered in a later chapter, I'll let you know. And if it's something that's not, then I'll mention it or explain in the A/N of the next chapter. :)

Anyways, not much else to say, really. Feeling better now, but work, bleh. Still a little under the weather but not enough to skip work... and to think, classes start up again on Monday... aha, haha... orz.

Fun.

Ah well, let's just see if I can fit in another chapter or two and finish off posting what counts as the "first chapter" of the original story...

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 4** (Word Count: 2,605; Post Date: 8/20/2014)

* * *

"Nghhh... 'm so tired..." she mumbled, wobbling a bit as she made her to the three-person tent that she was currently 'living' in.

"I'm...home..." she called out tiredly, a light tint to her cheeks that she pushed off as being due to the heat despite the 'mild headache' she had.

"Hi...mama," she yawned a bit, "I'm kind of falling asleep here...but I still have homework to finish..." she continued, speaking to the inanimate picture of her deceased mother. "Ah...my head hurts..." she murmured, "Maybe if I wash my...fa...ce..." she started, climbing back out of the tent, only to trail off and stare at the two figures staring blankly down at her.

"...Pff-!"

Kiku glared at the taller blonde when he burst out into laughter at the poor girl.

"_Ahahaha-! Hahahahaha~~! mon _dieu_-!_ A _tent_, really?!" the man exclaimed, causing said girl to flush.

"...Francis-san, don't be rude..." he twitched, though he too was staring a bit incredulously at the scene, pity stirring as she only seemed to flush a brighter and brighter red.

Huh. _She'd probably give Romano-kun a run for his money__ with that face..._ the male mused, though he was polite enough not to voice it, instead, jabbing the Frenchman rather painfully in the side in an attempt to make him stop laughing.

* * *

"...I...see..." Kiku stated blankly upon hearing the frazzled and rather embarrassed looking girl's explanation. "And... just how long have you been living there, Bennett-san...?"

The teen was pointedly ignoring the still snickering blonde beside him as the poor girl flushed.

"A-about a...week...or so..." she mumbled, too embarrassed to face them, as she stared down at her lap.

"...I'd wondered how you could be living nearby... You know that this area is part of our...family's...property, right?" he asked, knowing full well that they had neither rented nor sold out any of it, either, he thought, deciding that the best route would be to try and not embarrass the girl any further.

"Pff- une demoiselle...in a tent-!" Francis mumbled, not helping matters at all, as he continued to snicker to himself. "-!" Or, well, he did before another sharp elbow met his side, causing his already filling eyes to water even more. This time, in pain, rather than in mirth.

"U-uhm... I'm...terribly sorry, but... I-if it doesn't bother you... Would you mind terribly renting me some camping space...?" she asked, hands fisted tight in her lap beneath the kotatsu as she silently pleaded to whatever deities existing that they would be kind enough to do so.

"I-I'll leave as soon as Grandpa's done remodeling his house," she promised, "And... I don't have much money, but I can still pay-! ...Please...?" she asked, almost desperate as her face shone with a painful hope.

The two males exchanged looks.

"Now wait _un moment_, demoiselle. That place is rather dangerous, you know!" Francis interjected, finally taking on a modicum of seriousness at last, as he spoke.

"That cliff close by isn't very stable, vous savez! And you never know when some...some _personnage louche_ might pass through!" he exclaimed.

"...He means, 'some shady character'," Kiku explained. "Like him," he continued, pointing to the blonde he sat beside.

"Yes! _Exactement! _Like m_-_ wait _un moment!_" Francis shot a glare at the teen beside him. "That was _tres cruel_, Kiku! _Tres cruel!_" the blonde pouted.

"O-oh...really?" Juliana blinked, sweating slightly at the...display...

"Besides," the blonde continued, pretending that the previous scene had not happened, as Kiku rolled his eyes at the man's next crack. "wherever would you plug your curling iron~?" he asked, stifling another snicker at the 'joke'.

"...Are you quite done...?" Kiku asked, highly unamused as shown by the single raised brow.

Francis opened his mouth to make another joke, only to stop, wincing at the the discreet jab from his cursed cousin. He didn't even need to look to know that Kiku was getting annoyed. _Merde_, that'd been painful!

"...Oui, my apologies," he mumbled, smartly deciding the best route to avoiding pain for the moment.

He was _not_ a masochist!

Juliana remained oblivious, instead, trying to reassure them that she'd be fine. "I-It's okay! Really!" she exclaimed, "I don't actually mind the slugs!" she exclaimed, determined. Even if they were still pretty creepy...all squishy...and stuff...she thought, doing her best not to shudder at the mental picture of a particularly large and slimy specimen that appeared in her mind.

..._Eurgh... _

Both males jumped slightly at the sudden determination she showed, startled when she shot up with her little 'announcement'.

"I can take care of myself, really!" she exclaimed, "So... I'm begging yo...u..." she wobbled, her already weak knees collapsing as the two shot out of their seats, alarmed.

"Bennett-san-!" Kiku exclaimed, rushing over to the girl as she caught herself, clearly having pushed herself too far. "You...don't look so well..." he murmured, not even needing to touch her flushed skin to know that she was sick.

Even if they might have thought the flushed tone was due to embarrassment...

How had they not noticed the heat that she'd been radiating so far? Kiku chided himself for not having noticed earlier, hissing at the heat that was rolling off her.

"I-I'm...o...kay..." she mumbled, eyes dizzy and unfocused.

She clearly wasn't. Especially with her vision swirling so dangerously even as she swayed on the shaky arms that were all that was really holding herself up properly.

"You have a _fever_, Bennett-san!" Kiku informed her, worry and alarm warring as he noticed her entire body shaking.

"Mon dieu! I will... I'll get some ice-!" Francis exclaimed, heading for the kitchen next door. "Ice..." he blinked, staring at the mess in the kitchen. "Er..."

Just how had they let the place get so out of hand again...? No, wait, ice. He was looking for ice!

"Hmm..." he murmured, scratching his chin with a weak chuckle, "If I were ice...wherever would I hide...?" he wondered sheepishly.

"I-it's like...a garbage jungle...!" she thought with horrified awe, unaware that she'd spoken aloud as she stared at the room, somewhat fascinated by the scene.

How in all hells had they managed to make such a...a...

She really had no words to describe this. It couldn't really be called a kitchen _or_ a mess anymore, let alone a dump...!

"Oh~ that's nearly poetic, oui?" Francis perked up, smiling even as Kiku sighed. "Hmm-...?" suddenly focused, Francis stopped, head tilted towards the sliding doors they'd cut through.

"A...landslide...?" He frowned. "That...there was a landslide just now, n'est-ce pas?" he asked, clearly worried.

"W-what...?" What was he talking about? How could he know if...? If such a thing had happened? Juliana wondered, staring at the blonde with wide eyes.

"...And the ground's still weak from the storm last night..." Kiku murmured, standing a little off to the side, though still worried.

"Y-you... How... How can you tell...?" she asked, completely confused. Was it still happening? Was that why she felt like the room was shaking so badly?

...Or was that just her...?

"..." Kiku said nothing, frowning slightly as he went to find a first aid kid.

Just in case.

After all, he to, had heard the call of the birds ousted from their homes. He couldn't understand most of it, and the only ones he _could_ had been far enough to not have been affected, but...

"Hmm, well... If you ask how... you could say it is... how you say... _l'instinct animale,_ perhaps?" he mused, posing just enough that it couldn't really called 'posing' despite the sudden appearance of 'sparkles' around him.

Jules hazily wondered if she was starting to hallucinate.

"...Please stop messing around, Francis-san. Where was the landslide?" he asked, seeing as none of _his_ had called out, so he honestly couldn't tell.

"Aw, always so solemn, jeune Kiku~" Francis pout as Juliana began to angst, something she rarely did...

That, and brooding.

But... could it have been...? she wondered, before gasping. "Wh-what if it was near m-my tent...?!" she exclaimed, shooting up far too quickly from the seat that Kiku had -surprisingly- forced her into earlier.

"_C'est l'esprit!_" Francis beamed, "Ah, just kidding, kidding~ ohoho...heh...heh..." he amended sheepishly, and almost nervously, when Kiku shot him a particularly nasty glare.

"Really, Francis-san. Just where was it?" he asked, quickly becoming very annoyed...

* * *

"AH!" Jules stared at the mass of terra firma covering the clearing where her tent and all her belongings had been. "Th-This is terrible!" she exclaimed, still swaying a bit from fatigue and illness, though this time with added stress on top.

"M-my mother's picture was in that tent!" she exclaimed, hurriedly starting forward, "M-Mama-!" she exclaimed, as she started to dig.

...with her bare hands.

"B-Bennett-san?!" Kiku started, quite taken back for a moment before he hurried after to stop her. "Bennett-san, please! Please, calm down! You are not well-!" he called, pulling back a weakly struggling Juliana.

Kiku could only be thankful that she was still sick, though it was a guilty thought. After all, it made things easier, but...

"B-but, my mother! I have to save her-!" she exclaimed, continuing to struggle.

Mama...!

"Sh-she could be in pain!" she cried, tears automatically springing to her eyes at the thought.

Kiku sighed, but still forced Juliana to turn and look at them, even as Francis took her hands into his own (gloved ones). "Juliana..." the Frenchman began, pulling her attention to him.

"Let's come back here when it's lighter out. Oui? If there were to be another 'slide, and you got hurt... Do you not think that she would be in even _more_ pain...?" he asked gently.

Kiku shot the man a thankful glance as the girl started to calm down.

"Oui?" he asked again, this time getting a tired nod from the girl.

"O-oh...kay..." she managed before finally collapsing and surprising the two. Especially seeing that they had forgotten, for a moment, that she had actually been quite ill. Although, they hadn't really been expecting any of the begin with, anyway...

* * *

"Jeune Kiku had gone to get some ice now," Francis told her. "It's probably fatigue... you've been pushing yourself far too hard, _mes fille,_" the Frenchman chided gently.

"I'm...really sorry..." she mumbled. She'd lost it. Her castle. "...again..." she murmured, unaware that she was speaking out loud, sighing to herself. "I...lost my home again...

"My...castle..." she thought, remembering how her mother had always called their little apartment their 'castle'.

Francis could only blink in surprise. 'Again'...? he wondered, before sighing and settling down beside the futon they'd managed to dig out for the girl. "Does it hurt, _fille_?" he asked softly, hoping to perhaps lessen her 'load' a bit, at least.

"...Nah... I've...been through...worse..." she mumbled in answer, drowsy and sick enough not to realize that she was talking to the Frenchman anymore.

...That poor child, the man blinked, somewhat saddened by the hardships she'd faced so far. For all that he had been joking around, earlier, he wasn't an utter bastard, after all.

"...'Come home...safe'..." she murmured, "Why...? Why couldn't I have...just told her that...?" she wondered, still unaware that she was speaking aloud.

But, since she hadn't really talked to anyone about her feelings since her mother's death, it...it felt nice, finally getting it off her chest.

"...?" Francis watched her, somewhat surprised that she could still find the energy to talk. But he stayed silent, quietly urging her in his own way to continue speaking, though she probably didn't notice.

However, she still continued to speak, remembering, recalling the day it'd happened.

"That morning..." she murmured, "The morning Mom died...

"I...had mock SATs... so I... I stayed up all night, studying... and I overslept," she sighed.

"That...was the only morning I hadn't told her to 'come home safe'... That only morning..." she mumbled. "I...always did...except that... that once...

"I... just after the accident... I... considered dropping out... and just working full time..." she mumbled, voice becoming softer and softer as she spoke.

"But... mama...would have wanted me to go...

_"You know, I only graduated from Middle School. I mean, sure, I got the GED, but... I missed out on a lot of opportunities 'cuz of that, y'know?_

_"So, that's why... I want you to get an education. Have fun!" she grinned._

"...She wanted a better life for me, and... She worked so hard, yet I...

"I forgot to tell her to 'come home safe'... I didn't see her off when she left for work, but now she's gone, and...

"But it's not too late...! Even with my grades...even with my house being taken away again...

"I can...still make it up to her..." she mumbled, sliding in and out of consciousness now.

Sure, she couldn't bring her back, but... "I...can live the life she wanted for me...

"She wanted me to...finish school and...go to college...so...

"I... I will...graduate...

"For...her..." she sighed. _That's my goal..._

"This is... no... time... to lose...to a... fe...ve...r..." she mumbled, taking one last shaky breath before her consciousness fled at last.

"...Is she asleep...?" the quiet voice pulled his attention back to the doorway where Kiku stood, a cold compress in hand.

"You were...listening...?" Francis asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Yes, I'm...surprised..." Kiku started, almost cautiously, as if he were picking his words. "She always seemed so carefree at school..." He'd been rather envious, but...

"You'd never imagine the life she'd lived... It's..." he paused, "It's truly incredible," he decided at last.

"_In...croyable...?_" Francis blinked, curiosity peaked, "How so, mon cher...?"

"..." Kiku seemed to think about it for a moment, before shaking his head with a sigh. "I think that I am, perhaps, spoiled..." he said at last, "The courage that Bennett-san has... I envy her," was all he said.

And yet, Francis understood, smiling a bit at the statement.

"Well, you _are_ a bit spoiled, oui? But, you know, your 'spirit' is different from jeune Juliana's, remember. So if you really do think that it's so _incroyable_, then you don't honestly appreciate her~" he said airily.

"...You're right," Kiku sighed, getting back up. He paused. "Francis-san," he started, "Would you mind taking care of her for a while...?" he asked, heading towards the door.

"Oui...?" Francis answered, somewhat confused, before a frown made its way ont his features. "Don't tell me... You are going to fig her thing out alone, _s'il vous plait?_

"It is much too much for one person alone-!" he started.

At this, Kiku paused, a slow smile stretching itself on his features.

"Alone?" he asked, turning back from the open doorway, "Whoever said... that I would be going alone...?" he asked, smiling ominously before shutting the door behind himself, silhouette disappearing just as quickly and silently.

"...Do be careful, mon cher..."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Yes! Managed the last part of the first segment~! Whoo!

Once again, an un-beta'ed chapter, so...yeah. If you see any mistakes, please let me know so I can fix them! :) It would be much appreciated!

Now...to work on the second and third segments... Hopefully it won't be too hard to get done... I'd really like to be 'caught up' before classes start so I can finally get to working on a new chapter -w-; haha.

Anyway, enjoy the last part of the first segment, and wish me luck, ne~! ;)

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

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**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 5** (Word Count: 2,013; Post Date: 8/20/2014)

* * *

_"Hey, Jules... You've got a fever again...!" Rina sighed, petting her sick child's hair as soothingly as she could._

_"You really shouldn't push yourself so hard... Remember, Jules, you've got to always be yourself, okay? Just stay true to yourself and do things at your own pace, alright?_

_"Because you'll definitely be able to catch up..._

_"One day..." she promised._

_"For sure."_

* * *

But still, if she didn't push herself a little more -even just a little bit...

This time... This time, she would definitely die alone...

_And she didn't want that_...

* * *

"...Ngh..." sleepy brown-grey eyes peered around rather blearily from her rumpled sheets, blinking as she covered a soft yawn, the girl was entirely unaware of the bed head she was sporting as she blinked in tired confusion at her surroundings. Though, at least it wasn't too bad...

Consciousness returning, however, the girl blinked again.

Just what... Where...? Where was she? she wondered for a few moments before it all came back.

Remembering what had happened, she gasped, blushing a bright red.

"Oh, no..." How could she have fallen asleep?! she wondered frantically, shooting out of the futon as she simultaneous paled and blushed brighter (if that were even possible) as she remembered everything.

"I... I have to dig mama out-!" she panicked, close to spazzing, and not quite aware of the fact that she was still wearing a borrowed kimono or the fact that she was still barefoot in her haste to go back to find that precious picture of her mother.

"Wha-" she stopped, blushing when she came face to face with Kiku as the door slid open with a snap. Both of them sporting surprised looks, and frozen in place, Kiku with one hand lifted to knock at her door.

"Oh, er, K-Kiku!" she blinked, startled at the sudden appearance of the other teen.

"..." Kiku simply stared for nearly half a second longer, before he seemed to remember himself, greeting her with a small but warm smile. "Good... Morning, Bennett-san," he greeted.

Okay, so maybe the smile was just a tad bit forced. Even if she probably didn't remember it all, last night had been somewhat awkward, or it was closer to the later half of the night, anyways.

"How... How are you feeling...?" he asked politely.

"Oh, er... G-Good Morning!" she responded, before the sound of paper crinkling drew her attention.

"Ah, here... your picture..." Kiku started, pulling a picture frame out of the paper bag he'd been holding and holding it out to her.

"E-eh...?" she blinked, unconsciously accepting the frame with both hands. She was definitely confused, at least, until she realized that it was...

It was the picture of her mother! The...

The one that had been buried in the landslide...! she realized, speechless.

"It's... important to you, is it not...?" he asked, smiling more warmly, and less awkwardly for a minute, before holding up a few other things.

More bags, she realized. There were even two or three more on the hardwood floor on either side of him. "The rest of your things should be in the bags, but..." he trailed off, "Could you... please make sure of it?" he asked, watching her confused and questioning look change into wide-eyed understanding.

"Wh-what... but how...? D-did you... did you dig through that landslide all by yourself?!" she asked, eyes wide as plates as she stared at the slim male in front of her.

Said 'slim male' simply chuckled, an amused look crossing his face in response. "Of course not, Bennett-san," he informed her calmly. "That would be rather silly, wouldn't it?" he pointed out, smiling in a rather indulgent and amused manner that made her flush.

"O-oh... b-but then... how...?" she asked, still rather confused by the amazingly kind gesture.

Kiku just chuckled lightly, a mysterious smile on his face. "That... would be a secret, Bennett-san...~"

"Wh-Wha- Eh...?!" she blinked, faint traces of the previous blush still quite evident as she held the picture to herself almost reverently, as she decided simply not to ask. "Th-Thank you very much," she managed at last, "Thank you... so much... Kiku...!"

"Mm, it's quite alright," he smiled, nodding politely as he picked up the other bags. "I'll take your things upstairs, then," he told her.

"Wh-wha...?" she blinked, staring at Kiku's back as he started walking away.

Kiku continued to talk as if he hadn't heard her, "The house is a bit... unclean..." he stated delicately, "But... there is room for you to stay here, if you wish..." he told her, before remembering something else.

"Ah, you can stay here until the remodeling of your grandfather's home is complete, that is," he clarified.

"E-eh? O-oh no, I-I couldn't possibly-!" she started.

"Ah, right, please, don't worry. There _is_ a lock on the door," Kiku assured her.

"Ah, no... th-that's not what I... that is...-!"

"Jeune Juliana, you like housework, oui?" Francis asked, suddenly appearing behind the startled girl.

"Hiiih-! F-F-Francis-! G-good morning!" Juliana nearly jumped, almost screaming at the sudden presence of the blonde before she calmed enough to face him, still confused for the time being.

"_Bonjour~~ _Jeune Juliana~~!" Francis smiled, greeting the frazzled girl. "You look particularly _magnifique_, today, _mon chére_~" he complimented with a wink, holding a thorn-less rose out to the girl as Kiku sighed.

"Oh, er, uhm... th-thank... you...?" she blinked, more than a little confused as she accepted the thorn-less red rose.

She'd entirely forgotten what she was wearing.

"_De rien, de rien, _mes demoiselle~~" he smiled, "But yes, you do like cooking and cleaning, n'est-ce pas?"

"O-oh, uhm...yes... I-I do like housekeeping... Er, why?" she asked, tilting her head quizzically. She was still confused, and really didn't understand why he was asking such a question.

It was true, though. She liked cleaning, and she was quite a good cook as well, though she'd probably never say so herself. The cleaning though... perhaps that might've had something to with something of an OCD that she'd been conditioned into since her youngest days.

Her father had appreciated cleanliness, and later, after he'd died and her mother had to work all the time, it had just sort of... become her responsibility, though he mother had always helped whenever she could.

An odd glint seemed to appear in Francis' eyes as he took her hands into his own (again, gloved).

"Well, in that case~ Welcome to _la Maison de Bonnefoi~~!_" he exclaimed, practically beaming sparkles and sunshine into her face.

"E...eh-?!" she blinked, rather taken back by the suddenness of it all.

Still, Francis didn't seem to notice as he chattered on.

("Ah, he meant 'the house of Bonnefoy', by the way, Bennett-san," Kiku informed her, only partially misreading her look. "O-oh, thanks, Kiku..." "...Not at all, Bennett-san...")

"...and the room hasn't been used in a while, though, so it may be a bit stuffy~ Oh! We'll have to have a spare house-key made won't we~?" he realized, murmuring the last part to himself, almost as a side note.

"Ah, jeune Kiku~~ I shall assist you in carrying her things, mon cher~!" he exclaimed cheerfully, positively beaming.

...Kiku was almost suspicious of the amount of cheer the Frenchman was exuding.

"Oh, and Kiku? Do find something for her to wear in the meantime, oui?" he added, calling back to the teenager as he took practically all the bags, leaving Kiku with all of three to carry himself. "Her clothes are a mess, vous savez!" he exclaimed, having forgotten that the washing machine had been broken, though he'd meant to 'elp' by putting it all through the wash earlier that morning.

"E-eh? B-but I... I really couldn't!" Juliana started again, gasping as she realized that she'd basically blanked out and fallen into their pace. Calling after the blonde, she exclaimed, "Having you give me a room on top of taking care of me... I-it's too much! Really-!" she started, clearly on the road to have a spazz-attack as she continued. "I'd be causing you too much trouble-!"

Kiku sighed, "Bennett-san," he started, cutting the girl off and catching her attention.

"_We_ are the ones that are asking you to stay," he informed her, speaking a bit slowly to give her cool down and listen (or process his words properly). He paused for a moment before continuing when he saw he had her full attention. "You are not a bother," he said clearly once she'd calmed down.

Of course, it didn't stop her from looking anxious and ready to protest, opening her mouth to reject the idea again.

Or, well, she would have if Kiku didn't cut her off again, not allowing her a word in edge-wise.

"Really," he insisted, "If we didn't want you here, we wouldn't have asked," he pointed out calmly.

"B-but...!"

"Besides," he continued logically, "Where else would you go?" he asked.

"I... Th-that's... I..." thinking about the question, she finally seemed to give in a bit. At last.

Kiku smiled again, turning to continue their trek on-wards. "Now then, why don't I show you around a bit?" he asked, as they reached the second floor.

"O-oh... oh...kay..." she managed, almost shy now that she was no longer protesting her fact, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

Kiku smiled again. "In that case...

"That would be my room, there is the restroom... the bath is down the hall that way, and... Ah, Francis-san's room is at the end of this one," he continued, before turning to face her.

"I suggest you stay away from his room," he deadpanned.

"Er..." What? she blinked, confused by the sudden difference in expression.

"Please, trust me Bennett-san. You do _not_ wish to go in there," he told her seriously.

"I... a-alright," she agreed, sweating slightly. If he was so serious about it...

"O-oh! And, uhm... I-I'll try not to be a bother, so..." she hesitated for a second.

"Please...! Please tell me any other house rules or customs that I should know! I... I don't want to do anything that would-"

"..." Kiku sighed, "Bennett-san," he started, barely waiting for her inane babbling to stop before he continued. Effectively silencing her, and stopping her from embarrassing herself any further.

"First of all, that was not a rule...or a custom, really," he explained. "I just thought it would be best to warn that it is... unsafe... to venture into that area," he told her, holding a hand up when she opened her mouth to question the previous statement. "And no, I did not mean that it was physically unsafe," he continued.

Though, now that he thought about it... The inside of his room _might_ have been a bit of a hazard-zone...

"Second," he continued, "It's alright to just be yourself, Bennett-san... Be yourself and do things at your own pace," he told her.

"I can guarantee that you'll fit right in," he promised.

Her mother's words rang in her ears once more.

_'Remember, Jules, you've got to always be yourself...'_

...Ah, Kiku... he really was a mystery, wasn't he? she thought, a shy but warm smile forming as she really took his words in.

"I-I'll definitely do my best!" she promised, "So... please... take good care of me!" she exclaimed, bowing deeply to the other teen.

"_Ano_..." Kiku sweat somewhat, before sighing and smiling back at the girl with a small chuckle._  
_

As he'd said. All she had to do was to be herself.

And everything would end up being just fine...


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **...Damnit... just realized that multiple exclamation points don't show up... Which is weird since ellipses and '?!' do... Strange...

Anyways, managed one segment. And hopefully I'll be able to keep up and get it caught up enough to finally start posting 'new' stuff... And again, this -like every other chapter before it- is un-beta'ed. Constructive Criticism is both welcomed and appreciated.

Enjoy the update.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 6** (Word Count: 2,113; Post Date: 8/20/2014)

* * *

Kiku didn't react when Francis decided to 'magically appear' beside him. The Frenchman simply walking past the _Japonais_ teen and leaning against the frame of the closed door, arms crossed as the two waiting for Juliana to finish changing into a set of spare, unused clothing that Kiku was lending her.

Neither was willing to break the silence quite yet. And yet, still...

"...Kiku... you do realize I was just kidding about the '_fleur magnifique'_... oui?"

"..." the Japanese teenager said nothing for a moment, a bland look upon his face as he opened his mouth to speak, an almost condescending look on his face.

Or, well, what would have been one on anyone other than Kiku.

"You were practically 'jumping for joy' just now, though, were you not, Francis-san?" he asked dryly.

"Hoho~ oui, oui~" the blonde agreed, nodding and ignoring the slight before continuing, unnaturally serious for a moment.

"But, Kiku... are you sure it will be alright for her to stay with us? She is une demoiselle, after all..." he reminded the other, frowning slightly.

"...I don't think you have to worry, Francis-san. So long as she doesn't hug any of us... we should be fine," he shrugged.

Nothing more was said as they waited for the girl to come back out, so they could lead her to the room that would be hers for the duration of her stay.

"Ah, Bennett-san," Kiku called after a while, smiling slightly at the girl as the entered the room. "I...hope you don't mind, but I'm going to open a window. It's rather stuffy in here..." he explained.

"Oh, uhm, of course! Go ahead," she exclaimed. It was, after all, still their house, and she was only a guest.

At the moment, she was wearing a plain white short-sleeved button-up shirt that was just a size too big, and an extra pair of pants that Kiku had apparently never worn.

("European clothes are a bit troublesome, so I don't really like wear them all that often," he'd assured her. "Eh... really?" "Yes," he'd answered, smiling. "...and yet they still insist on sending them to me..." he'd murmured to himself afterwards, sweating. "...?" Luckily for Kiku, however, Juliana hadn't caught any of the last segment of his little 'speech'. Still, one learned something new every day...)

Thankfully, the clothes didn't look too strange on her. It wasn't what she'd normally wear, but at least no one would question it.

She was just glad they didn't have any dresses, since that would've been entirely out of character for her. (Dresses were for formal occasions, not everyday, in her mind.) After all, it would have been a lot stranger if she had suddenly started to wear really girly skirts or dresses all of a sudden.

Somehow, it just all felt like a dream to her.

After all, it was almost too good to be true! she thought, looking around the room a bit now that she was clean and dressed properly.

Absently, she wondered where Kiku's parents were, and why he was living with Francis. After all, not only did they seem to be of different nationalities altogether (American excluded, since it was such a melting pot/mixing bowl), but they really weren't very like each other.

Well, as far as she could tell, anyways.

_I really hope my stay here doesn't cause them too much trouble..._ she'd begun to think when, all of a sudden, the roof crashed in behind her.

Startled, she screamed, backing away from the roof-in.

"Bennett-san-!" Kiku cried out in alarm, whirling to see what had happened as soon as he'd heard the explosion-like sound.

"Mon dieu-!" Francis seemed to pale, almost unable to step forward at the sudden cave-in. "Jeune Juliana, are you alright?" he asked.

"Y-yes, but...-!" she started, staring up at the hole in the ceiling. Had there been an earthquake or something? No, it couldn't be, nothing had shaken...

Had it? she wondered unsurely. As far as she could tell, there hadn't been, but... maybe she was still sick enough to not have noticed? But, wait... the other's hadn't seemed to notice the quake, and _the hole was still there-!_ ...was it her, then? Did she just have extremely bad luck or karma or something...?

"Hah! I've finally found you!" A rather crazed sounded chuckle made her look back up towards the still settling dust around the debris, while the other two stopped, freezing at the familiar voice.

It... It _couldn't_ be... could it?

"Now then... Are you ready for me to break your damn neck already, you bloody Frog?!"

Fawn eyes widened as she watched the dust settle, the green-eyed blonde figure standing there with a dark grin, as he rotated his shoulder to loosen some of the muscles.

...Hold on a second...

"C-" she started, causing the others to stop and look at her. "C-CATERPILLARS-!" she cried, causing the newcomer to stop and face-fault, "TH-TH-THERE'RE GIANT (FUZZY) CATERPILLARS ON HIS FACE-!"

"_THEY'RE NOT GODDAMNED CATERPILLARS!_" he exclaimed angrily, even as Francis burst out laughing. Kiku sighed, sweating a bit as he shook his head.

"AHH-! GET 'EM AWAY, GET 'EM AWAY-!" she screamed in full panic, pretty much running around in circles and spazzing out.

"_GODDAMNIT, WOMAN!_" the males sweat as they watched her flail around like a headless chicken, screaming her head off.

"AHHHHHHHH!" she continued screaming as the blonde cursed, preparing to stalk towards her when she slipped on some of the debris.

"Eep-!" she squeaked, her screams cut off rather effectively at the sudden fall.

"...Oh crap..." All three males paused as she started falling, and hurried forward to catch her.

The newcomer, being the closest, was the one to catch her, as Kiku froze, Francis staring wide-eyed and mouth agape as they watched the scene in slow motion (thanks to adrenaline, of course).

"Ah-!" she shut her eyes, waiting for an impact that never came.

"E-eh...?" she blinked, opening first one eye, then the other only to shut them both as a poof of smoke surrounded her.

"..." Oh dear. Kiku sighed, shaking his head lightly.

Juuuust great, Kiku thought, feeling a headache coming on already as Francis groaned, rubbing his face.

'_Damned chivalrous gentleman,'_ they thought, shoulders slumping in resignation as they did.

How the hell were they going to explain this to her? the Frenchman wondered, sighing in -sort of- defeat.

* * *

"..." When she finally opened her eyes again, she blinked, finding herself staring right up at the hole in the ceiling.

"...Eh?" she wondered, feeling confused, though that emotion was short lived when she heard a rumble beneath her and felt...

Fu...r...? she froze, turning slowing at the growl-like sound, and coming face to face with...

A... lion cub...?

"Eh...?" she stared in shock, brain working in overdrive to register exactly what she was seeing, as she stared back at the (rather adorable, admittedly) glaring lion cub. "EHHH~?!"

"K-Kiku-!" she choked, somehow managing to hold the lion cub up to show the others. "Oh my gosh, K-Kiku, Francis! Th-There's a wild Lion Cub in the room!" she exclaimed.

"Er, Bennett-san... Please calm down.." Kiku sweat as she began to panic.

"B-but what if it's wild and it's Mom or Dad is nearby and it comes in, and- and-!" she flailed, dropping the sulking cub, unable to really think properly or even realize that logic would have dictated that it was the currently 'missing' male who had dropped through the roof for whatever currently unknown reason (to her) that had likely turned into the Feline, as said adolescent cub lunk towards a corner of the room, clearly sulking.

Because wild lion cubs _suddenly_ appear, and their parents were of course stalking them, when _lions don't live in forests_ anyways.

Francis had to choke back his laughter, eyes swimming with tears when he realized that she hadn't come to the rather obvious conclusion to all this.

A sudden gasp made them all stop though, as she finally seemed to come to some conclusion.

They froze.

"O-oh my gosh... Wh-wh-what if it ate the person who was here just a second ago?!" she exclaimed, now panicking even as Francis _really_ had to work hard to hold back the laughter and tears (and sort of failing) as Jules ran over to the young lion that was not quite a full-lion but not quite small enough to be a cub, grabbing the poor, surprised male by the shoulders and shaking it.

"Please don't eat people, Mr. Lion-!" she cried, eyes teary and panicked looking. "It's not good to eat humans! D-don't worry sir! We'll save you!" she cried into the lion's (pried) open -and for whatever reason minty fresh- maw to a man that she believed to be within the Lion's stomach.

And still alive, despite the fact that the Lion was nowhere near big enough to fit a whole person in his stomach.

Well, not an adolescent or older, anyways.

Francis couldn't hold back anymore, laughing raucously as the tears poured, pounding the wall with one arm clutching his stomach as he doubled over in half pain and mirth, he was laughing so hard.

"Th-This isn't funny, sir Francis!" she exclaimed, slipping back into the semi-polite (and yet not quite medieval) speech that her father used to speak, until Kiku placed a calming hand on her shoulder, careful not to touch skin as he sighed mentally.

"Er, Bennett-san..." he started, sweating as she didn't seem to hear, concentrated as she was on Francis. "_Bennett-san-!_" he tried again.

"Ah-! E-eh...?" she blinked, turning to Kiku, surprised enough to forget about Francis and the Lion for the moment.

"...Bennett-san... Please think for a moment..." he sweat once she was calm enough to pay attention. "Does the Lion look like it would be able to fit a whole adolescent male in his body...?" he asked calmly.

"Ah... n-no..." she admitted sheepishly, blushing once she realized how crazy she must have looked...

And sounded.

No wonder Francis was (still?) laughing so hard...

Wait a second... her brain paused, rebooting and starting up properly this time.

B-but.. if that person wasn't eaten by the L-Lion, then..."

The dots connected.

"E-ehhhh!" she exclaimed, startling the others enough that even Francis stopped laughing to stare. "H-He turned into a lion?!" she gasped.

Ah... All the males in the room sweat at her. What a slow up-take...

_So slow..._ they thought as one.

Wait... the thought caused them all to stop, remembering just what this meant.

"Oh my gosh-!" she started spazzing. Again.

The boys side as the panic seemed to begin anew.

"H-He turned into a Lion!" she exclaimed, flailing and running about again, as she realized what must have happened. "I-Is this because I crashed into him?! _It's because I crashed into him, isn't it?!_" she spazzed, "D-did I _land on the wrong place_ and he _turned into a lion?!_" she wondered.

"Ah..._pas_... Well... oui... perhaps...?" Francis sweat, chuckling nervously as he -slowly- backed away from the suddenly crazy-acting girl, not quite sure exactly what to say.

"..." Kiku simply sighed, rubbing his temples as he tried to figure out what could be done in this sort of situation.

"W-w-we have to get him to the hospital!" she decided at last, running over to the Lion and trying to drag it towards the door despite the claws that were no digging into the floor. "He needs medical attention!" she flailed.

Needless to say, the 'Lion' was _not_ very happy and was trying to thwart her -as much as he could without harming her, of course. He was still a gentleman, bloody lion or not!- plot to take him to a doctor.

Of course, it might have helped if someone noticed the loose piece of hardwood teetering precariously at the edge of the roof-opening before it finally fell and hit the unfortunate girl in the head.

"J-Jeune Jules!" "Bennett-san-!" the two still human males exclaimed at once, taking a step forward as she fell towards them.

"Ah..." the two aforementioned males sweat as she landed in their arm, and they remembered 'that'.

'Poof', another cloud appeared...


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **This... This one was actually a pretty tough chapter to edit. Especially since I wanted to keep it between 2k at minimum and 3k at most... almost crossed 3k, but I somehow -_somehow_\- managed to keep it within the restraints.

But rejoice! For it is finally done and we're getting closer and closer to the omake's! wheee... -shot-

Anyways, enjoy, and thanks to those that have put this story on their favorites/follow list.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 7** (Word Count: 2,971; Post Date: 8/22/2014)

* * *

"..." Juliana stared blankly at the two animals before her for a moment, shock clear on her features as she just sat there, gaping.

To say that she was surprised when the two in front of her turned into animals as well was...

Well...

* * *

Outside the Bonnefoy house, the mailman carefully stopped his LLV (as it's apparently called) in front of the lawn.

At first glance, there didn't seem to be any driveway for the house. But hidden near the side was a small path that had been paved just for the Mail Vehicles after some of them complained of having to walk up the entire mountain (which was an exaggeration, really. It was only half!) just to deliver the daily letters.

Not to mention how much time was consumed. Thankfully, the man living there had been kind enough to agree to build the path just for postal services once the fact had been pointed out.

After all, the house was completely surrounded by vegetation with no paths other than the man made trails that... really weren't drive-able.

But anyway, humming cheerfully as he went around pack to retrieve a few parcels and letter from for residents, the mailman walked up to the front, pressing the doorbell.

There was a package he needed a signature for.

Unlike the previous others, this man actually rather liked his route, seeing as the people living here were not only nice and polite, but they always tipped him at least once a week, or whenever he had any important packages that needed signing.

"...? Mr. Bonnefoy...?" he called, once the second ring produced no answer. "Hello?" he called, somewhat confused when no one appeared by the third ring.

Odd, he was usually here this time of day...

"Huh?" he blinked, the sound of feet pounding down the hall meeting his ears.

What the...? he thought. So there was someone there? he blinked, patiently waiting for the door to open.

Perhaps he'd woken up late? he thought, curious about the strange deviation from the norm.

Still, to say he was startled when the one who opened the door starting babbling in his face (something about animals), and wasn't even a _guy_...

Well, one can probably imagine how surprised the poor man looked.

"Uh... Hel...lo...?" he blinked, staring wide-eyed at the girl that was still ranting(?) before him.

"THEY'RE ALL ANIMALS!" she exclaimed, somehow holding what looked to be a _very_ large cat (was that a Lion?) and two off birds (...that was a _Crane_ and a _Rooster_ wasn't it? the man thought, startled, though he didn't think too much about it. He knew that the residents of the house were rather well-off, after all)...

"Uh...yeah...?" he blinked, a bit taken back. "Those...are animals..." he agreed slowly, backing away a step. "Does Mr. Bonnefoy have pets now...?" he asked, sweating slightly.

He _could_ see the eccentric -and sometimes theatrical- man keeping such an odd choice in animals...

Though, the Lion did kinda make him nervous.

"Wh-wha? No, th-that's not..." she started before trailing off, sweating when she realized how crazy she must have sounded.

"I-in any case, I have mail for Mr. Bonne...foy...?" he blinked, feeling something class his pant-leg and looked down to see...

The Rooster. And it was holding a five-dollar bill in its beak.

"Ahaha... what a smart bird!" he laughed, bending down to accept the tip, "Thanks!" he grinned before leaving once the strange girl accepted the packaged, signing for them dumbly.

Still, it was curious...

_Does Mr. Bonnefoy have a niece...?_ he wondered, knowing that he had at least one Asian relation. Or maybe they'd finally hired someone to clean around the house? he mused, driving off. He'd been in the house before, and considering that at least a third of the rooms he'd seen on the first floor had been completely buried in rubbish the one time he'd had permission to enter... Well, it was rather sad, to say the least.

"Eh..." Juliana slumped, mind in turmoil as she felt her legs give out, still holding the mail, as she wondered if, just maybe, she was actually starting to go insane...?

"**Great, how the bloody hell are we going to explain this?!**" a rather familiar voice made her turn around, staring at the animals in shock. Th-

"**Ohhh, don't you dare try to pin this on _me_, _idiote!_ You're the one who got us all into this _mess affreux!_**" The Rooster was glaring at the Lion, whose hackles were raised hissing at said bird as the Crane sighed on the sidelines.

They could talk?! she thought faintly, starting to really think she was going mental. First all that good luck, and then the person fall through the roof, and all of them turning into animals!

Noticing her look, the Rooster sweat bullets, crowing as if he hadn't just been having an argument with a lion. Judging by her expression however, she didn't seem to buy it. Especially having just seen and heard them talking.

Oh well, it would've been a mite mean to make her think that she was really losing it...though, considering the way her thought process seemed to work so far...perhaps she wasn't all that far off to begin with? The male thought.

Well, it wouldn't have been nice if it were their fault, anyways. They _were_ quite different from 'normal' people after all...

"**...**" The crane sighed, sounding remarkably like Kiku for all that it was white with a black lower-body and more black that went from neck to beak, with a red 'crown', almost like a cap.

"**I really don't think this is working...**" the Crane said.

Yup, definitely Kiku, she thought, as it stepped between the two, forcing them to stop their argument. "**She's already seen _and_ heard** **us,**" he pointed out. "**So we might as well tell her, before she starts thinking that she'd gone mad...**"

The two feuding animals exchanged a look before sighing, forcing themselves to calm down.

"**Oh, very well...**" the Lion grumbled grudgingly, as the Rooster ruffled its feathers and settled down.

"**Alright, Jeune Kiku**," it -he- sighed.

All three turned to Jules, who jumped slightly, startled at the sudden attention.

"Uhm..." she blinked, sweating slightly as they continued to stare at each other.

"**...Bennett-san, I know this may be a bit hard to believe but...**

"**We are the reincarnations of the Personifications of the World's Nations,**" he began. "**We are humans who have been cursed to become our National Animals when our bodies become weak for whatever reason, or when we come in contact with those of the opposite gender. And seeing as there are so many nations in this world... You can probably guess that there are many of us who have been cursed with this...ability.**

"**As you can see, I am possessed by the National Animal of Japan, the Red-Crowned Crane; while Francis-san is possessed by the Gallic Rooster, the National Animal of France,**" he continued. "**Arthur-san is possessed by the Lion, the National Animal of Britain.**"

"Oh.." Jules' eyes widened as Kiku continued his explanation, neither Lion nor Rooster were really willing to look her in the face as he spoke, however. Francis staring steadily at the ground, while Arthur -England, apparently- glared at a wall to the side.

"**For thousands of yours, those of our... family and lineage have been cursed with these... differences.**

"**And we don't really have any 'special powers' or anything but... -Bennett-san...?**" Kiku was startled when he was suddenly picked up and hugged, having averted his eyes during the explanation as well.

"I'm...so sorry..." she cried, surprising them all, as she gathered them all into a warm hug, tears in her eyes. "I... I didn't know...!" she sniffled.

"**...Bennett-san...**" "**Jeune Juliana...**" "**...**" all three stared at her teary-eyed face, eyes softening at the girl who seemed to care so much about them...

"**Ahem-!**" one of the three coughed after a while, causing her to let go, blushing as she realized what she'd done.

"S-sorry-!" she squeaked, still blushing sheepishly. "I'm so sorry, I don't know... Well, I do know, but... I- uhm, erm..." she sweat, face steadily growing brighter in embarrassment.

Oho, how cute~ Francis chuckled, though it sounded more like clucking since he wasn't actually speaking out loud.

"**...**" Both Lion and Crane shot him looks that probably meant that they had both figured out what he'd been thinking, and were calling him some form of 'pervert' in their minds.

Francis didn't seem to notice. Or, if he had, ignored it. "**In any case, Jeune Juliana,**" he picked up from about where Kiku had left off, catching her attention. "**We do change back into humans after a while, but...**"

"Eh?" she blinked as a poof of smoke appeared again, gasping as she covered her eyes. Blushing brighter than a tomato at their current state.

"Well, we're usually completely naked, mon cherie~" he finished rather cheerfully. In fact, perhaps a bit _too_ cheerfully, as he held up another rose from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Ah-!" she screamed, immediately turning away from the scene at the first hint of their...well...nudity, and blushing brighter than she had before, were it even possible.

But seriously, where _did_ he keep pulling those things from?

* * *

"Ah, _désolé, désolé~_" Francis laughed, apologizing a bit more sincerely now that they were all dressed again. "We did not mean to _d'exposer_ anything you were not ready to see, Jeune Jules," he smiled. "Er... Are you... feeling a bit better now, _mon chére?_"

"I... I'm getting there..." she answered honestly, still feeling a little frazzled and incredulous that this sort of thing could happen in real life...and to her, no less!

"..." Kiku, meanwhile, said nothing, studying everyone that was now gathered in the room that he and Francis had first seen her the previous day.

Arthur was still sulking on the patio, leaning against the door frame, while Juliana seemed to be gathering herself to make proper sense of all that'd happened, while Francis tried to help.

Keyword: tried.

'Are you sure you are feeling better, Juliana? You still seem a bit, ah... _incarnat_," he admitted, comparing her color to the rose in his hand. "Oui, _incarnat_," he decided.

"..." This only made her flush more.

Kiku sighed, "Stop teasing her, Francis-san. I'm sure she's been... upset... enough today," he continued, not quite able to find an appropriate word to describe the incident.

Shocked? Disgusted? Surprised? Just what single word _could_ be properly used in this case? he wondered.

"Oh, very well," Francis huffed, "I shall stop," he promised, muttering under his breath, "_Rabat-joie_..."

"Eh?" She blinked, finally realizing that she was being teasing. "Th-that's not very nice, Mr. Bonnefoy!" she sulked, embarrassed that she hadn't realized it earlier herself.

"Non, non, mes fille! You must call me Francis, oui?" he chided.

"Oh... M-my apologies...Francis..."

The Frenchman beamed, "Now that that's settled, how would you like to know a little secret~?" he asked, grinning cheerfully.

"Eh? A s-secret...?" she asked, eyes wide.

"Oui, oui, _un secret_~" He grinned, "You know Jeune Arthur, over there~?' he asked, gesturing towards the sulking blonde with his rose.

"Y-yes...?" she gulped, not quite sure whether she should be listening to this or not.

"He is _Angleterre_, _mon chére, _England~" he revealed._  
_

"E-eh? R-really...?" she asked, eyes widening, "Wow! Wh-what's... he like...?" she asked, curious yet shy at the same time.

Francis chuckled, "Well~" he started, raising his voice loud enough for the others to head as well, thereby causing Kiku to sigh and shake his head at the man's stupidity seeing as he had a feeling that he knew where this would be going.

"He is..." he paused, purposely letting the anticipation build.

"H-he is...?" she urged.

"_Ill-tempered_, easily drunk, delusional," he listed, continuing on as he aimed and shot every arrow at the green-eyed man.

"...!" Every one seemed to hit its mark as the blonde trembled with the weight of his growing anger. Especially as Francis was _still_ continuing his tirade.

"E-eh...?" Juliana was already quite overwhelmed by the by the long list that was still forming, as Francis showed no sign of stopping anytime soon.

In fact, he didn't even seem to be halfway through, as he joyfully went on about the green-eyed nation.

"And he has those _sorry_ excuses for eyebrows, and-" he continued.

Something snapped.

"ARRRGHHH! THAT IS ENOUGH, YOU BLOODY FROG! I AM GOING TO _BREAK YOUR NECK_ RIGHT HERE AND NOW, YOU WANKER!" Arthur screamed, shooting out of his seat as Francis smirked. Face a mottled red.

"Ohohon~ that is because it's all true, _Angleterre_, is it not~?" he retorted, arms crossed smugly.

"E-ehhh..." Not quite sure what to do, Juliana looked from one to the other, then to Kiku. "Wh-what should we do?!" she asked, thinking that it was her fault some way as Kiku sighed.

It seemed he was doing so far too often as of late...

"Nothing. It'll be fine, Bennett-san," he assured the poor girl.

"B-but-!"

"It'll be fine," he repeated firmly, "They do this every time they meet, you see."

That really didn't reassure her in any way. At all.

"Besides," he continued, cutting the girl off before she could even protest, "It'll probably be..."

"...?" It'll be...? she wondered, tilting her head marginally as she watched Kiku, whose eyes were still trained on the two from his place against the wall.

Francis was smirking as he jumped back, dodging a roundhouse kick, as Arthur scowled.

Juliana followed his line of sight to the spectacular display before them.

"...Arthur-san's win," he finished, closing his eyes as the two decided to end it with a decisive blow.

"Ah..." Francis winced as he was thrown into the wall, while Arthur barely skidded on the tatami floor. "It seems... you've gotten better, Angleterre..."

"Hmph! As if that makes me happy, when I have such a weak opponent, stupid Frog!" he spat, still scowling though he began to relax his muscles.

He didn't need to speak the words for Jules to hear the silent message, though. The confidence in Arthur's tone proof enough of his confidence in his own strength.

Francis tsked, "And you still have such a bad temple, non? You still haven't fixed it yet~?" he drawled.

The blonde winced, but otherwise ignored the jibe. Even if it was true. The two blondes' attentions were claimed when a reverent voice cut through their argument, though.

"W-wow..." Juliana breathed, eyes wide.

England...really was strong...!

"That was amazing!" she exclaimed, eyes shining as Kiku sighed once more. Arthur turned away with a huff, though not without the telltale shade of red tinting his cheeks.

"Th-that was nothing!" he insisted, clearly embarrassed by the praise.

Getting up from where he'd landed, Francis pout, feeling left out.

"...Please don't destroy the house," Kiku sighed, speaking up at last, and acting the mature adult, seeing as the other two had been acting so immaturely. "It may not be mine, but Francis-san, isn't it yours?" he pointed out.

"..." There was a moment of silence as Francis paled. "_Sacrebleu-!_ It _is_ my house!" he wailed, cursing the fact that he hadn't thought to take the fight _outside_ to avoid property damage.

"Merde..." he groaned. His poor house!

Arthur tsked, "Serves you right," he grumbled, crossing his arms defiantly. It was _not_ his fault!

"...Arthur-san..."

"Wh-what...?" he watched the other teen suspiciously, twitching slightly at the feeling that he knew what would be coming next...

"Wouldn't a gentleman do his part to clean up a mess he made?" he asked, smiling.

"Wh- But he started it!" he exclaimed, pointing to Francis.

"...I see, so you aren't a gentleman... Pity.

"To think, you also broke through the ceiling of the room Bennett-san was to stay in... A gentleman wouldn't allow a lady to live under such conditions after all, would he?" he asked, a false, almost ominous, smile plastered on his face as he tilted his head.

"Oh bloody- _Fine_, I'll fix the damn roof!" he snapped, grumbling the whole while, as he walked out of the room.

"_Arigato_, Arthur-san," Kiku smiled._  
_

H-how scary... Kiku... the 'Prince'...was actually a very cunning person, wasn't he...? Jules thought, sweating as she watched him direct the Englishman to the tools, when the blonde stopped to asked where they were so he could 'keep his word' and 'fix the bloody roof'.

...No wonder he had top grades at school, was all she could think as he easily maneuvered the two elder males to do ask he 'asked'.

Wait a minute... she stopped, "S-school..." she started, causing the others to turn their attention back to her. "Ahhh!" she exclaimed, panicking as she realized something very, very important...

"W-We're going to be late-!"

"Eh... s...chool...?" the others blinked, eyes trailing to the closest clock.

"W-we have to hurry!" exclaimed Kiku, paling as soon as he caught sight of the time. He and Jules both raced off to gather their things.

There was _no_ way in any or all hell(s) he was going to break his perfect record for something as idiotic as what had occurred between the blond idiots!


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Wow...this one was only one word off from 3k... O.o Seems the chapters are getting harder and harder to keep within 2-3k. And I'm having trouble getting the next chapter done as well... Oy vey...

And it seems I couldn't get all three segments of the story done after all... Oh well, hopefully I'll be able to balance classes and writing this time. At the very least, have this Chapter, ne? Un-beta'd, but still. At least it's something...right?

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 8** (Word Count: 2,999; Post Date: 8/24/2014)

* * *

"H-has someone seen my bag?!" Jules' voice was muffled slightly by the walls as she and Kiku ran around collecting their things.

"You left it in your room, Bennett-san-!" Kiku called back, both racing back down the stairs once they had their things.

"I'm so sorry about this, but I really have to get to school!" she apologized, bowing to Francis, who simply laughed.

"Non, non," he smiled, deciding not to tease her this time, amused as he was by the flustered girl. "I understand.

"You made a promise to your _maman _after all, oui?"

"Y-yes..."

"Ah, but you know, as for moi...

"I must tell _that_ person -the head of our little...family...- what has happened here, you understand," he told her seriously, causing Kiku to stop in passing, about to pull his backpack on.

"The family 'secret' has been revealed, after all."

"..." for a moment, there was silence, before the girl finally spoke up. "The head of the family... He must be a very important person, right?" she mused, smiling.

"Of course!" she agreed, "I understand. I'm just sorry for the trouble," she bowed apologetically.

Francis blinked, surprised. "...Non, not at all, mes demoiselle..."

"Well then, I'll be going now!" she told him, straightening and heading out after reclaiming her shoes.

"...You're quite talkative today, Francis-san..." Kiku watched the girl walk away, eyes narrowing even as he refused to to look at the blonde.

Francis smiled. "_Vous croyez~?_ But, Kiku, you've said just as much, haven't you, mon cher~?"

"You plan on having her memories erased, don't you?" Kiku got straight to the point, eyes cold and tone frosty.

"Just like _that_ time..."

Francis sighed, "_I_ plan nothing, mon cher.

"Besides, that time was due to the fact that there were so many people involved, non?" he retorted, "We had not choice. You understand, don't you, Kiku?"

"..." Kiku remained silent, slipping his backpack on. "I'll be leaving now as well," he said at last. "Please remember to have the house fixed soon."

"Oui, oui, _monsieur_ Kiku~" Francis smirked. "It seems you've become the young master here, haven't you...?" he murmured, watching the door close behind the brooding teenager.

His smile dropped. "But... whether _that_ will happen or not...

"Well, we shall have to see, shan't we?"

Silence fell once more as Francis slid back down against the wall, wincing as he felt his arm throb. Had he sprained it?

"...the bloody hell was that about?" Arthur muttered, carrying a tool kit and some lumber from the yard as he passed the otherwise empty room.

"Pfft~" Francis grinned, "Nothing at all, dear Angleterre~

"However, if you have time to worry about moi, shouldn't you get to work~?" he asked, smirking as he motioned his hands in a rather obnoxious 'shoo'-ing motion, deliberately trying to raise the hackles of the temperamental Brit.

Arthur snapped.

"You-! _Who the hell would worry about you, idiot! _Like I'd worry about you, bastard!" the blonde stomped off, cursing all the way as he left to fix the roof.

"In any case, I'm not fixing the bloody wall! Do it yourself, stupid frog!" he yelled back down the stairs.

Francis chuckled, not moving from his place as he sighed. "Of course~"

He really hoped that things wouldn't come to _that_, though...

* * *

"Whaaat? You forgot to do the laundry...?!" Rissa stared in disbelief. "How the hell did that happen?!" she demanded.

Juliana _never_ forgot things like that. At least, not household chores!

"...Is that why you're not wearing your normal clothes...?" Rei asked.

"Eheh... y-yeah," she grinned sheepishly as they walked down the hallway.

"_Hah._ Bet she doesn't even have the power to do it," a girl muttered as she passed the trio.

Rei's eyes narrowed as she gave the girl -easily identified as one of the 'Kiku Fanclub' members- an icy glare, calmly chasing the suddenly terrified girl down the hall with her gaze.

"Che, those damn суки/suki..." Rissa glared after the girl as well, staring at the corner as if she could keep glaring at the girl through the wall._  
_

"Ah, th-thanks, Rei..." Jules smiled, sweating. She couldn't tell them that it was actually true, though. They'd have a fit!

Besides, she'd probably be cleaning Kiku and Francis' house once she got back, though it was a good excuse, too...

Praying for forgiveness, Juliana mentally apologized to her friends for the lie she'd told them.

"The prince was late today as well, I heard," the platinum-haired girl mentioned. "It's not much of a wonder that they'd be suspicious," idiotic as it was, Rei told them, munching on some Pocky that she passed along to the other two as they continued down the hall.

"Hmm," Mori hummed, accepting the box from Jules and pulling one out before passing it back to Rei as they approached the separation point. Morissa and Juliana going one way to get to their P.E. class, while Rei went the other for her Tech class.

None of them said anything for a while, content to nibble their pocky as they reached the split.

"Oh!" Juliana gasped after a moment.

"...?" the other two stopped as well, turning back when they realized she'd stopped a step behind.

"Ah, I forgot my notebook...!" she exclaimed. She'd been working on some math homework while during lunch, and had only just realized that she'd left it in the C.E. room that they spent their lunch period in.

"D'you want me to go with you?" Rissa asked, as Rei waited patiently for an answer, nodding in agreement since the question applied to her as well.

"Oh, no," she told them. "I couldn't. I don't want either of you to be late.

"I'll just get a pass from Mrs. Guerralupi. Besides, I doubt she'd be willing to give you one as well, Rissa..." she sweat, seeing as the woman didn't really seem to like Rissa -not that her demeanor helped, of course, especially when she taunted the ex-military teacher.

"Che, true..." she grumbled. "I'll just wait in the Locker Room then," she promised. Rei nodded.

"Eh? But... if you're late..." she frowned.

"It's not like we're doing much anyways. Just walking," she shrugged. "We've only got track, today."

"Ah, is that so?" she blinked.

It never really ceased to amaze her how the other two would know things so early beforehand. Though Rei's was due to her 'psychic abilities', Rissa was simply good at gathering 'intel', as one might label it. And no, she was not a gossip.

...well, okay. Maybe just a little bit..._  
_

"Yeah," Rissa nodded.

"In that case, I'll be back as soon as I can, okay?" she smiled, waving at the two as he headed back towards the C.E. room.

"Just hurry it up, okay?" Rissa ordered. "It's boring as shit when you're not there!" she called to the girl as she ran off.

"kay~!" Juliana had to resist the urge to tell Rissa not to 'curse', since it wasn't as bad as what she could've used.

And as Rissa walked off as well, Rei watched Juliana as her figure disappeared around a corner.

"...Something's off..." she murmured to herself, staying there until the minute-bell rang, signalling the last minute before classes started again, and headed to her Tech class.

Well, whatever. She could always figure it out later...

* * *

"Whew!" Jules sighed, walking down the empty hall, notebook in hand and her bag slung over her shoulder. "Thank goodness, Mrs. Guerralupi likes me..."

"Bennett-san..." A familiar voice made her jump, pausing at the sudden appearance of the school's 'Prince'.

"Wha- Oh, Kiku... It's just you," she sighed, palm flat against her startled heart as she turned to the onyx-haired boys.

"...My apologies," Kiku bowed, "I didn't mean to startle you..."

"Oh, no. I was just surprised, that's all," she smiled, waving her free hand, as the other held her notebook to her chest. "So... what brings you here...?" she asked, before realizing something. "Oh! Uhm, I'm not skipping class or anything! I just forgot my notebook, so-"

Kiku chuckled, "It's quite alright, Bennett-san. I know you wouldn't do such a thing.

"As for myself, I have some S.G.O. work to take care of," he explained.

"O-oh...right," she laughed sheepishly. "I forgot, Kiku... you're the S.G.O. President, aren't you?" she smiled.

"That is correct," he smiled. "But while we are both here -and alone," he added, "You... didn't tell anyone, did you? ...About...that...?" he asked.

"That? Oh! No, I-I didn't!" she exclaimed, surprising the teen. "I'm so sorry, am I making you (all) nervous? I-I'm a liability aren't I...?" her shoulders slumped, a feeling of depression settling onto her.

"What? no, that's not-" he started, still surprised though she didn't seem to notice.

"I'm really sorry! But I would never tell anyone! Mama -my mother- always told me that if someone trusts you with a secret, you should keep it! She always said gossiping was bad, and it's usually wrong!" she explained.

"Er, no... Bennett-san..." he tried again, sweating.

Did she really think all that? he wondered absently, before his attention was pulled back as she continued.

"I swear! I won't ever breath a word about it to anyone! I'll sigh my name in blood or cut my arm or whatever you want!" she promised.

"No, I... That's not-" Kiku tried to interject.

"I'm sure that's what my mom did back then, anyway! So-!"

"B-Bennett-san!" Kiku exclaimed, catching her attention at last.

"E-eh?" she stopped, pausing mid panic.

"I...was trying to say, that wasn't what I meant," he sweat. But, thinking back to her words...

Just what kind of person was her mother, anyway? he couldn't help but wonder.

"...huh?" she blinked intelligently.

Kiku bowed. "Bennett-san, you're going to all this trouble just to keep our secret...but..." his eyes softened with worry. "I'm...just afraid that it might not be enough..." he apologized. "I'm sorry...

"But... your memories may need to be erased..." he sighed, straightening again. And this time, he met her eyes with a serious expression. "Well, I say erased, but... it's really more like hypnosis..." he frowned.

"You see, a long time ago... our secret got out. Just as it did today," he began, eyes firm as he stared into her wide orbs.

"I was in the second grade when it happened. We were all playing in the garden of the main house, when a girl got carried away and hugged me...

"It caused such a commotion that they had to suppress the memories of all those that had been present," he explained, becoming distant as he remembered the event. It was as clear as if it'd been yesterday...

* * *

"..._Kami-sama..._ am I... truly so strange that we must erase the others' memories to hide it...?" a young Kiku asked meekly. The Head of the House had always had a sort of air around him that made the boy quite nervous.

"Yes, you are strange," the mysterious male said after a moment, steel eyes cold and unmoving as he spoke.

"Isn't it strange for a boy to turn into a bird?" the older male asked. "If normal people knew your secret, Kiku, they'd be disgusted. They'd be sickened by it and stay away from you. And then you'd be forced to live alone, singled out and bullied by them," he told the child grimly, tone firm and confident in the nature of those being called 'normal' humans...

* * *

"Kiku...?" Jules watches as the other's eyes clouded. "Are... are you alright?" she asked tentatively, bringing the other back to present.

"Yes, I... Yes. I'm... sorry, Bennett-san..."

Why? Juliana wanted to ask, tilting her head in confusion but staying silent as he continued to speak.

"I... can't defy His wishes. If he decides that's what must be done..." he sighed, shaking his head to clear the strings of morbid thoughts that were spinning themselves in his mind.

"...In any case, since you never really asked to be involved with our family's...problem... I just wanted to apologize in advance and say 'I'm sorry'...

"...That is all," he finished, turning to walk away.

"Oh... Ah, w- Kiku, wait!" she called, unconsciously starting forward, arm stretched out to stop him before she could even think about what she was doing.

"Ah-" Kiku blinked as he was suddenly pulled back, before disappearing in a familiar puff of smoke.

"Ack-! Oh no... I-I'm so sorry-!" she exclaimed, realizing what she'd just done. "Ahhh, I'm such an idiot! I swear, Kiku, I didn't do it on purpose!" she apologized.

"**I... It's alright, Bennett-san,**" the boy-turned-crane sighed, somehow managing to pull his head through the neck of the now over-sized shirt. "It'll be fine as long as no one saw," he assured the girl, adding a mental 'probably' in afterthought.

"I, uhm... That is... K-Kiku. Thank you... for worrying about me," she clarified as the avian looked up at her from the mess that he had been wearing. "It...really makes me happy," she told the bird, smiling wholeheartedly. "But really, it's okay, Kiku. I'll... be fine," she promised.

"I mean, I found out such a big secret that you _have_ to talk to the head of your family about it. So it really wasn't your fault -and you couldn't really help it, right?

"So, please," she continued, "Do whatever you need to make your family less nervous okay?" She grinned.

She'd be sad to forget such an important memory, but they _had_ taken her into their house. And unconditionally as well (housework excluded), when they found out that she'd been living by herself in a tent.

It really did make her happy. But... she'd bear with it. If it was for them...

She could still go on.

"Oh, but, there's just...one thing?" she added, smiling warmly at the wide-eyed Kiku as she kneeled carefully beside the crane, making sure that they were as close to eye-level as possible.

"Please, if... if my memories are erased... Kiku, will you... still be my friend?" she asked, a gentle smile on her face as she watched the Red-Crowned Crane.

"**...Bennett-san...**" Eyes gentle, Kiku smiled as best he could in his current form before another puff of smoke filled their visions.

"Ah-!" Juliana blushed, immediately turning away and covering her eyes so as not to see anything she wasn't meant to see.

"Ah," Kiku sighed, "It...seems that it didn't take quite as long to change back this time..." he sweat as the girl tried to compose herself in the background.

"I-I'm sorry..." she mumbled. Thankfully, though, she hadn't seen anything this time so... that... was good, right? she thought, waiting for Kiku to finish dressing and give her the 'okay' to turn back around.

"It's fine, Bennett-san. You can turn around now, by the way."

Clothes back on, Kiku smiled, oblivious to the girl's thoughts.

"A-alright," she agreed, turning back and blinking as she noticed something. "Oh... Kiku, your shirt!" she started, suppressing a giggle.

"Eh?" Kiku blinked, looking down at the shirt he was wearing.

"Your buttons..."

In his haste to get dressed, he had buttoned his shirt wrong. Oops?

"Ah, my apologies... I'm afraid I'm still not quite used to wearing these western style clothes..." he admitted sheepishly.

"Ah, really?" How cute~ she thought, unable to help the giggle that slipped out of her lips this time. "That surprises me!" she grinned. One would've thought that he'd actually be proficient at anything he did. But...

"In that case, it's my turn to help you~!" she smiled, fixing the buttons on his collar before straightening the tie.

The words from _that_ time repeated themselves. _'If normal people knew about your secret, they'd be disgusted, Kiku.'_ The memory of that time resounding in his mind. _'They'd be sickened by it and stay away from you...'_

"... Bennett-san," he started at last.

"Yes?"

"You... You're not...sickened...by me?" he asked, voice becoming more and more quiet.

"Sick-? No! Of course not! I'm A-okay!" she beamed at the boy.

...What? Kiku blinked, mentally deadpanning for a moment before he sighed, smiling softly. "Bennett-san... If you don't mind... would you... like to walk home together...?" he asked.

"Sure! I'll meet you after classes are...o...ver...Ah!" she exclaimed, her grin dropping as she remembered why she had been there in the first place. "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Kiku! I forgot! I still have P.E. right now!" she panicked.

Kiku blinked, startled by the sudden exclamation. "Eh? Ah, no, it's quite alright. I apologize for keeping you so long," he grinned sheepishly, somewhat disappointed to have to part.

"No, no! It's my own fault," she insisted. "Oh, but...shall we meet after school?" she asked, "By the lockers, right?"

"Yes... of course," Kiku agreed.

The two exchanged grins before parting ways.

_'Will you... still be my friend?'_ Jules' words echoed in his mind as he went back to the S.G.O. room.

_Of course I will_, he finally responded to the question, promising mentally as he walked on. _And thank you...__  
_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **Huh... so, managed to fit section two into four chapters rather than two... well, whatever, chapter 10 will be the omake and little character 'blurbs' if anyone's interested, anyways. This section was actually wayyy harder than I thought to keep within 2-3k, in case nobody's noticed...

But, section two is done at last, so yay~! Banzai~! *throws confetti around* In any case, this marks the end of the original second chapter of the story, "Secret" (ie: chapters 5 through 9). And with 10 being an omake, I guess that actually does fit the second section into 5 through 10?

...How strange. Also, dunno when it'll be out since the new semester of classes starts in the morning for me, but I'll try to get it done soon~

Anyways, here's Chapter nine fresh off the keyboard, and still un-beta'd as every single other chapter thus far has been. Enjoy, and look forward to humor and an info-blurb the next chapter~ *grins*

And again, if there are any mistakes in spelling/grammar/translation, please do let me know! I may be a linguistics major, but my focus right now is more Japanese and Chinese than European languages. I've taken Italian before, and I'm a little rusty, but since neither of the Italy brothers have appeared yet... well, no need to worry about that, right~? Anyways, I'll shut up now and let y'all read~~ haha.

Disclaimer: See first chapter.

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 9** (Word Count: 2,731; Post Date: 8/24/2014)

* * *

In the end, Jules had still ended up being late to class. By the time she'd arrived, half the class had finished their laps, and, to save some time, the teacher gave her permission to complete the circuit in her regular clothes.

Which, actually, turned out to be a good thing, considering the 'clothes she hadn't had time to wash' had included her P.E. uniform now that she thought about it...

After class, the trio of friends met up again, this time, with Jules and Rei pairing off for their science after which the two went to Health. Classes over for the day, the trio of friends met up once more in front of the buses. Something they normally did as two-thirds of the group -Rissa and Rei- took said transport home, even if they took different buses considering that not only did they live in different areas, but Rissa also held a few part-time jobs.

Some days, the other two wouldn't even see her at all after their fifth period, when they met up between the classes and before Rissa headed off to take one of the early buses that would arrive for those that only took a certain amount of classes.

Of course, that was only Wednesdays and Thursdays, so it was only two days a week.

Today, however, was Tuesday so they did meet up. And once the other two had gotten onto their respective buses, Jules walked back into the school, planning to grab a few things she'd need from her locker.

When she got there, however, it was to find that Kiku was already waiting there for her.

"Ah-! Kiku!" She blinked, surprised. "You... startled me," she admitted sheepishly, as she forced her heart to slow back to its regular pace.

"My apologies," Kiku smiled, waiting as she sorted out her text books, returning a few texts, before adding her Math and History texts to her bag. Kiku's being slung over a shoulder. "I didn't mean to startled you."

Juliana simply smiles in response as she shut her locker. "Oh no, it's quite alright, Kiku. Really, I... I guess I'm just pretty easy to surprise," she admitted, blushing a bit. "It's my fault really, for not paying as much attention. Though, I didn't really think you'd end up being right beside me," she laughed.

Kiku grinned as they started walking. "Shall we head home?" he asked.

"Of course!" Jules grinned back as they left the school grounds.

* * *

"We're back!" Two voices chimed in the otherwise silent structure.

"Hm... it seems Francis-san has yet to return..." Kiku noted when no response was forthcoming.

"Oh, really?" she asked curiously. "In that case, I'm going to put my things in my room!" she called back as she headed for the stairs.

"Alright," Kiku replied, locking the door behind them.

Walking up the stairs, Juliana paused when she heard a 'ripping' sound from her (and here, there was a bit of a mental squeal, when she realized that she would be staying in her own room in a house, rather than outside in a tent again!) room.

"...Oh!" she blinked, startled when she saw that it was Arthur, standing on a ladder in her room, one hand extended towards the roof and keeping him steady while the other held a roll of tape, one end held by his teeth to keep it from sticking together and getting messed up.

"Ah, 's it just you?" Arthur asked when he noticed her, turning to face her and, in doing so, revealing a pale purpling bruise along his cheek.

"Y-yes... It's just Kiku and me," she somehow managed, still somewhat surprised at the scene and perhaps a tad worried about the most visible injury on the blonde, for once, eyes sharp as she noted the slight wince when he moved his arm.

A bruised rib, perhaps? she could only wonder.

How she knew? Well... Rissa _was_ an ex-gangster...ess...? Gang member? Well, she'd been pretty high up on the ladder, but still...

_A-ny-ways_... Moving on!

Arthur sighed, startling the girl out of her musings as he ripped a large section of tape off, sealing the last segment of plastic around the roof opening from the inside (he'd taken care of the outside portion earlier, before spending nearly an hour deliberating about 'entering a girls' room'...without said girl's express permission).

"I see... Well," he started at last, "It's just a temporary fix," he warned her as he set the tape carefully on the ladder so he could climb back down. "But, it should hold out any rain at the very least," he continued, stepping off and cleaning up whatever debris was still left from his earlier clean-up, slinging the remaining trash-bag over his shoulder, ladder under the other.

"I'll try to do a better job over the weekend, but that'll have to do for now." Arthur continued, stopping just as he reached the door, Juliana stepping back to let him pass. "If you don't like it, you can call a professional."

"Ah, O-okay..." she agreed almost meekly. She was finally getting to meet him but... as she took in his rather gruff demeanor, she could only wonder if, perhaps, he didn't really like her...?

"...You..." Arthur started again, causing her to gasp, startled, as she jumped, turning back to face the elder teen.

"Y-yes-?!" she squeaked.

"I..." he started, seeming rather awkward and hesitant as he stood there, deliberately not facing the girl, though there was a telltale sign of a blush as the tips of his ears showed red.

"I tend not...to be very good at talking to people, so... I-if I seem kind of rude at times...

"O-or if I get angry -see, I tend not to see or notice what's around me when I'm really mad- so... That is..." he started, struggling to explain what he was trying to say properly.

"L-look. What I'm trying to say, is... try not to take it too badly if I'm a bit...rude...at times," he mumbled, "I don't mean to... but I... France, he... I just get so pissed off when he's around... I... guess I just get pissed off too easily, I suppose..." he admitted.

"Oh! B-but don't tell France I said that, though-!" he exclaimed, realizing what he'd just said, color deepening. "I... my 'training'... it's not enough for me to be able to stay cool or to cool quickly, so... I... tend to fall into a rather foul mood...a lot..." he mumbled.

"Just- You know what? Just don't mind me!" he scowled, starting to feel frustrated. "J-just pretend I don't exist if you have to!" he scowled, kicking at the floor. "So... in advance..."

Jules blinked head tilted slightly as she took in his entire speech, wondering exactly what he was trying to say.

"I'm...sorry," he managed. "In case I do anything to hurt you or your feelings," he explained when he noticed her quizzical expression, though he immediately looked away afterwards.

"I guess... what I'm trying to say is-"

"_I AM HOME, MES CHERS_~~~!" A loud, yet familiar and obnoxious voice cut through the blonde, interrupting his little speech, and ticking the green-eyed Brit off without even attempting to.

But he could tolerate it! Because he was _sure_ the _idiotic, bastard blonde_ hadn't actually meant to. He couldn't know that he was in the _middle of something_ after all.

All efforts to keep himself reigned in were wasted at the other's next sentence.

"Oh, and I suppose we should not forget l'idiote Angleterre~~" he added drolly, almost as if in afterthought. Whether it was or not, however... Well...

"_GODDAMNIT, YOU FRENCH BASTARD! I SWEAR I'M GOING TO _BREAK_ YOUR BLOODY _NECK_ THIS TIME-! ! !" _The Briton was practically flying down the stairs in his quest to strangle the laughing Frenchman.

"Ohonhon~ You may _try,_ mon cher _Bretagne_~~"

"_I'M NOT JUST GOING TO TRY, YOU BLOODY FROG! I _AM_ GOING TO DO IT-!"_

It was almost an entire hour -or perhaps forty minutes- before Arthur had calmed enough to leave the other blonde be, and for long enough for said man to make his 'announcement'.

* * *

"S-so... I... won't be punished...?" Jules blinked, relief evident as the four gathered in the -semi patched up- living room, Francis informing them all that 'He' had decided to allow for her stay.

"Oui, mon chére~ So long as you can keep our 'secret' He said that you may stay~" he grinned, watching as her expression brightened and relaxed completely. Quite a different from bundle of nervous anxiety that she had been previously.

"Ah, but you _absolutely must_ keep our secret, _comprenez__?_" he continued seriously, though he sweat a little wondering why on Earth she'd think _she_ would be punished...

"Y-yes! Of course!" she exclaimed, a determined glint entering her eyes as she contained her excitement.

She would _not_ lose her memories!

Francis grinned as Kiku remained silent, Arthur staying farther off to the side on purpose, acting uninterested and pretending not to pay attention though it kept 'wandering' back.

"Oh, yes~" Francis recalled, "_Une_ more thing," he continued, calling their attention to himself once more. "He has also expressed His...wishes...that Arthur stay here as well..." he announced, though it was with much less enthusiasm than when he'd announced Juliana's acceptance. Still, he kept up a cheery facade. There was no way he was going to show his true thoughts on the matter.

"_WHAT DID YOU SAY?!_" Arthur practically screeched, staring at the elder blonde incredulously. "_Are you fucking serious?!_" he hissed, "I have to live with _you?!_"

Francis shrugged, clearly just as displeased despite his careless tone. "Oh, don't blame me, Angleterre~ It was _His_ will, and you of all people know that His Word is _law_," he reminded the British blonde, who simply began cursing in response.

Kiku suppressed a sigh. He should have known. He _really_ should have known, he thought, ignoring the exploding blonde as he kept an eye on Juliana.

...Who was trying to calm the (obviously) upset male.

"...knew there had to be some catch," he muttered, eyes narrowed as he watched Francis escape, settling by the door, as Kiku leaned against the frame. "However..."

Francis blinked, surprised when the shorter male turned his attention to him.

"Involving Bennett-san... You... and _that_ person aren't planning anything, are you...?" he asked, gaze sharp as it settled, boring into the suddenly sweating blonde._  
_

"..." Kiku was quite sharp, the blonde thought, as he recalled the 'conversation' that had led up to this point.

* * *

"...Fine," the obsidian-haired youth said at last. "I will...trust...this girl," the boy sat by an open window, head resting upon a closed fist as the other fingered a gilded birdcage in lazy motions, watching the two pure white canaries flitting and tweeting about the ornate enclosure.

"This might even be to our advantage," he'd drawled, cold steel grey -nearly black- eyes turning to meet his own. "Kiku does have some good instincts. However...

"_Do proceed carefully, Francis..._"

A breeze swept through the window, making the drapes billow. A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold air traveled up the blonde's spine, expression completely serious for once as he masked a feeling of dread that grew in the pits of his stomach.

This was their _God_ he was talking to, after all...

* * *

"Oho_hon_~ _En verite_, Kiku~!" he laughed, "You should really learn to be more trusting, oui~~?" A vibrantly red rose appeared in hand (seriously, where _did_ he keep those?), Francis smelled the calming scent as he spoke, smiling cheerfully.

Kiku's eyes narrowed dangerously at the drama, however, before he could say anything, another voice spoke up, interrupting their conversation.

"E-excuse me..." she started, catching their attention. "Uhm, this... might sound strange for me to say it, but...

"Please take good care of me!" she said at last, bowing to the two surprised males. "And... thank you again, for not only taking care of me before, but for giving me a room as well!" she smiled, straightening so she could face the two.

"Bennett-san..." Kiku started, somewhat surprised to see such a... 'familiar'...custom, before smiling. "Y-yes... Of course!" he agreed, somewhat shy if the light blush on his face indicated anything, though he looked happy enough, especially at the familiar custom.

Really, it'd been _forever_ since he'd seen or heard that familiar custom.

"Oui, oui~" Francis agreed, grinning. "But of course~" he told her, offering the rose he held out as a 'gift', winking at the girl humorously. "We'll make sure to take... _extra_ special good care of you, oui~?"

"Er... th-thank...you...?" she blinked, a sudden mysterious chill going down her spine for a reason unknown to her, as she accepted the rose, oblivious to the sharp kick the blonde received to his knee, or the wince as she moved away to talk to Arthur again.

"-! ! !" Francis gasped, wincing at the pain as his knee buckled, a mixed expression that went from 'how could you!' and 'sacre_bleu_ that was painful!' to a more annoyed look as he glared up at the unimpressed Japanese teen, his look faltering, as he withered under the hard..._stare_...he received from the other. At last, deciding that perhaps -just this once- it'd be better to simply listen to the unspoken command...

Out on the porch, Juliana turned, leaning slightly so that they were at about eye-level with each other, as she smiled at the -still sulking- blonde, who had stalked out and sat himself against the screen door earlier. "And, of course, you too, Arthur!" she beamed, "Please take good care of me~!"

"Wh-wha-?! W-why do I have to-" he started, reflexively turning to glare at the girl only to find a fist buried into the back of his head, causing his body to fly out into the yard.

"Eh..." Jules blinked, surprised by the sudden...disappearance?

"_WHAT THE FUCKING HELL, YOU FROG?!_"

"Non, non, Angleterre~~! You shouldn't be so rude to a lady, mon cher!" the blonde tsked, shaking a finger as he chided the male, once again pulling a rose from seemingly nowhere as he waved it back and forth as if it were an extension of his finger.

"Or, was I mistaken and you're not quite the gentleman you claim to be~?" he asked airily, a smug smirk on his face as he stared condescendingly down at the shorter blonde.

"Why...you...bloody... _DAMN FROG! I _SWEAR_ I'LL DEFINITELY BREAK YOUR DAMN NEXT THIS TIME, STUPID FRENCH GIT!"_ he yelled, 'war' breaking out between the two once more.

"E-ehhhh?!" Jules panicked, not quite sure how to calm the two, as Kiku stopped beside her, shaking his head.

It seemed that he was going to have to 'ask' them to fix whatever damage they caused... again. He thought, skillfully diverting the girl's attention as he led her out of the room, suggesting that she begin dinner preparations and to let him handle the two (fools) blondes.

He didn't want her to get caught in the middle or get hurt, after all. She _was_ the only girl in a house of (now) three males...

Confused but amiable, the single female in a household that consisted primarily of males agreed.

Taking another look back at the two still 'rolling around' outside, Kiku sighed once more, giving his head a light shake. They were _still_ arguing as they fought...

Well, at least they had remembered to take it out to the yard this time, he thought dryly.

...Perhaps it would be best to leave them be for now, anyway. Besides, he still had Physics and Calculus homework to get done, he thought, walking away with a mental note to end things in about half an hour if they still weren't done, and to have the two ruffians fix whatever damages they caused.


	10. Omake Chapter 1

**A/N:** And here's the end of the Second Segment of the Original! I managed to type this up quickly after getting home from classes since we got out early for the first day~ I'm glad I managed to get this done though! (Even though it's not being posted til 12:30 in the morning... orz didn't mean to take that long of course... orzorzorz)

Hopefully I'll be able to get the last segment done soon so I can get started on the new stuff already~~ I've got so much planned for this series~ Not quite sure just how far I'll get, or how much 'free time' I'll have to write with since my schedule is usually pretty busy, but I'll still try to squeeze and hour or so of typing in for this story!

I know I've probably been neglecting my other stories, but...well... eh, no excuses. This story will probably be 'priority' for a while...or at least until I get hit by Writer's Block...

Anyways, this Chapter is an 'Omake Chapter' and will consist of 'extras' for the story (which is the literal translation of Omake as far as I'm aware, being 'extra' stuff that comes with the story/etc, or whatever it's an omake for).

So since these chapters will probably happen often enough, despite being so short, I'll be adding some other information that may be pertinent, such as little 'info blurbs' for characters and the like, or, if I get reviews or questions I may answer it in a 'Q&amp;A' corner at the end of the chapter.

And, seeing as this is the first and there still aren't any reviews (I'm assuming you're all fine with the story going on as is or have no questions/comments since there aren't), I'm just going to post this and then move onto the 'Chara/Info Corner' immediately afterwards, so I can at least try to keep the Author's Notes and the like to a minimum here.

Anyways, do enjoy this first little 'Omake Chapter' -which is really just the original first Omake revised- and hopefully you won't find any of the 'information' confusing.

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers Apply.

* * *

**[ Woruba: Omake Corner! ] **Omake Chapter 1: _The Sea of Decay Expands!_ (Word Count: 356; Post Date: 8/26/2014)

* * *

Francis opened the door to the kitchen of the Bonnefoy House, empty take-out boxes in hand. He paused to stare at the pile of trash that was piling in a corner of the room.

"Hmmm..." The blonde hummed, looking around the kitchen for a place (or a not-overflowing trashcan) to throw the boxes away, before pausing for a moment to think.

'Eh, what the heck, it certainly couldn't hurt, could it~?' he thought, shrugging as he threw the boxes into the growing trash-pile without thought, turning away and shutting the door as he did so.

'After all, what difference would "one more" make, anyways?' had been the logic he'd used.

And by the time Kiku realized what he'd been doing, it had already been too late.

Even _he_ wouldn't be able to clean such a mess.

Seriously, he might have liked cleanliness, but he wasn't exactly going to risk his life to so! Especially if -or rather, _when_\- Francis decided to start the process all over again.

Absently, the diminutive Asian wondered how the blonde had kept the house so clean before. After a moment's thought, he decided that it had probably been a hired hand that had likely gotten fed up with the blonde's horrible habits (not that Kiku could blame them!), not even mentioning that Francis was probably _not_ a very good or reliable boss, either...

Seriously, Kiku couldn't blamed the poor sucker if they'd ended up quitting.

Whether it was a girl _or_ a guy.

...

Elsewhere, a certain ash-blonde adolescent sneezed loudly, startling the the pure white polar-bear cub that had curled up against him, watching as another blue-eyed blonde excitedly moved around in the blizzard that was raging outside their little hidey-hole cave.

Absently, the teenager wondered just where his brother had gotten all his energy from -let alone how he could still be so loud and chipper even after having been out in the whiteout for nearly two whole hours already...

And thus, the sea of decay in the Bonnefoy House slowly but surely expanded.

* * *

**[ Woruba: Chara Info Corner! ]** Character Information / Blurbs / Summaries (may eventually become a "Chara Talk Corner" -a.k.a. a 'Character Talk/Interview Corner' if people show any interest)

* * *

**Juliana Martina Bennett**: A mysterious adolescent female that seems to have her share of troubles yet still endeavors to remain optimistic and cheerful! A girl who follows a rather circular/strange logic, and the type that continues to persist in trying to 'believe the best in others', perhaps it's no wonder that her two best friends are so worried and protective of her?

Juliana inherited her long onyx hair and much of her facial features from her mother. Her eyes and a bit of her personality seem to be inherited from her father, though she does carry quite a few shared traits from her parents. At the very least, she inherited her mother's good eyesight though, so she won't have to worry too much about inherited blindness! ...Even if she is a bit of a clutz and an airhead on occasion.

Of her friends, Juliana is just barely taller than Rei, and even then, only by about a hair. Still, though she's almost the same height as Kiku, she seems to be shorter than all the other characters that have shown up so far.

**Morissa Lumina Margrett**: Supposedly a girl that used to be a high-up member of some currently unknown gang. Despite her foul mouth and rough and tumble demeanor, however, she's actually a big softy and simply _loves_ collecting gossip -her version of an information network. She is very protective of her close friends and family, and she is, surprisingly, actually quite good at gathering information as she does.

Tall and intimidating to quite a few -and especially those that have ever gotten on her 'bad side'- Mori, also known as Rissa, has a surprising number of part-time jobs though she seems to be well adjusted despite the jobs she holds.

Supposedly, Mori inherited her chest-length dark red-brown/maroon hair, sharp eyes, and 'smug/smirking/grinning' expressions from her father, while she inherited her eye color -a dark green-blue or stormy grey-blue-green color depending on the mood- and her more 'angry/scowling/pissed off' reactions and expressions from her mother.

Needless to say, she's not really afraid of 'getting her hands dirty' if it's to protect the ones she loves, and is quite capable of holding her own and defending herself. Her cursing habits should be pretty obvious as well, methinks~

Morissa lives in a small apartment by herself most of the time, as her father is either rarely home, or there for long periods of time in which she usually tends to avoid said 'home'.

**Rei Ryuuzaki**: A rather apathetic-faced teen with 'psychic abilities', Rei actually comes from a long line of 'miko' and 'onmyouji' that moved to the U.S. several generations ago. She's supposedly inherited her grandmother's 'ability' to 'see' or sense auras. An ability that apparently skips every other generation or so. Still, she seems to be surprisingly well-adjusted for a 'psychic', and does actually know a few curses at the very least.

Along with her inherent abilities, she also seems to have inherited her coloring -platinum silver hair and storm grey eyes- from her grandmother's line. Surprisingly, Rei is the one of Juliana's two self-appointed 'protectors' that is the most sadistic when riled.

She is also said to be the strongest 'psychic' to have appeared in the family within the past few centuries, though whether that's really true or not remains to be seen. Still, she is a quiet yet intelligent individual though she is also far more calculating than Morissa and is also more likely to 'notice' inconsistencies.

She lives -along with most of her family- on japanese-style temple-grounds that have been inherited for generations since the first Ryuugami set foot in the U.S. and built their shrine. Of the trio, Rei is also the hardest to read, and is also surprisingly the first of the group to even begin considering 'abusing her abilities' at the first provocation.

**Sabrina Bennett**: Juliana's mother, and a very important factor in Juliana's growth. Though deceased, she still affects the decisions that Jules makes. Not much is specified at the moment, but she is definitely of Asian descent. Falling in love with the European that would become Juliana's father, she ended up coming with her husband to the U.S. carrying the not-yet-born Juliana.

Juliana was actually partially named after her grandmother -on her father's side, "Martina Bennett"- while her father had yet to really be introduced.

Much of Sabrina's past remains a mystery, however. Morissa also seems to really respect the obsidian-haired woman (who was described in the first chapter, as you all probably recall). Rina is also actually a nickname for her 'chosen' first name, Sabrina.

Her previous and maiden name has yet to be revealed, but despite any hints to an unsavory past, the woman was said to be quite beautiful in both her youth and age. Not much else is known outside the story so far.

**? ? ?**: Currently unnamed, the mysterious man that's been mentioned as the Nation-Family's 'god', has been known be both cruel and sadistic at times. Whether he is truly a selfish individual has yet to be seen, and, aside from a brief description, not much is known about this person.

All that is known about this man, is that he is still young -an adolescent- and younger than Francis at least. He has short black hair, and steely grey eyes framed by nearly feminine lashes. The boy -definitely a male- is the 'cold' type of beauty that may even freeze one's heart if one's not careful.

From the two 'flashbacks' _He_ appears in, he seems to be almost bi-polar in personality. More will be learned about him later on, when he appears or is mentioned once again. Aside from that, all that can be shared is that he holds the 'most important' place in the family, and that all the Nations must obey his words. For to them, His word is Law, and His Will is to be Their Will.

Hence why many of them now live in the U.S., a mixing ground of cultures and nationalities...

* * *

**[ Woruba: Info Corner! ]** Other Information That May or May Not Be Obvious (Things that have been explained either in story or are super duper obvious will not be explained unless someone has questions to ask)

* * *

**Chapter 1:**

FRANCIS' CLAY NATIONAL ANIMAL FIGURES: Why was Francis making National Animal Figures? And Why did he leave out England's National Animal, the Lion?

To put it bluntly, Francis was simply bored, and found himself making the little figures. Or rather, 'slacking off' in his work. What work he has? Well, that will be revealed later, though it should, perhaps, be rather obvious what a person like him would do~~?

As for why he 'left out' England's Lion, well, there are quite a few nations, and he didn't make _all_ of them, after all. Only some. But of the 'top nations', England was left out because, well... We all know that England and France don't get along. So perhaps it shouldn't be surprising that every time the man tried he ended up destroying it instead~?

**Chapter 2:**

RISSA'S USE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGE TO CURSE AND HER REACTION TO THE KIKU FANCLUB/FANGIRLS: Why is Rissa using a foreign and Cyrillic language to curse? And why does she seem to 'dislike' the Fanclub?

Morissa is actually using Russian to curse the fangirls out in the second chapter, though she uses it quite a bit throughout the chapters that she appears in. (If I got any of the curses wrong, someone please let me know. I am unfamiliar with Russian, and used Google Translate for it and Francis' sporadic french, so if I horribly butchered anything, I really didn't mean to.)

Why she's using Russian? Well, because she's at least part Russian of course! Rissa's dad moved to the U.S. in his younger years for a 'better future' as many people moving to the U.S. do. Whether he was married to her mother before or after the move is yet to be seen, however.

As for her 'dislike' of the fanclub -it's more to do with the fact that they are not only fangirls (who can be notoriously annoying and hard-headed when it comes to the 'objects of their affection'...of which I can probably count as one, no offense meant to the fangirls -and boys- out there of course!) but also because they're _picking on Jules_, who, as we all know is one of her best friends, and whom falls under the category of 'under her protection'.

So of course she's not happy, when someone she cares about is being 'bothered' or 'hurt', and since she used to be an ex-gangster, not only does she not bat a lash at cursing people out, but also, she isn't afraid to get violent either. One of the reasons the fangirls tend to avoid her -and Rei, who, as previously mentioned, has no qualms with abusing her powers.

Also, despite her 'cursing' it's actually not as bad as it could be since Juliana dislikes it when she curses, and tends to 'chide' her about it, to the point that she's actually toned it down quite a bit since their first meeting... How long ago? Well, that'll be revealed with time...

MORISSA'S GOSSIP-QUEEN TENDENCIES AND REI'S REFERENCE TO KIKU HAVING A "STRANGE AURA": Why does Rissa like Gossip so much? And how come Rei doesn't know exactly what or why Kiku's 'aura' is so strange?

To be honest, I never meant to Rissa to be a 'gossip-queen'... It just... happened. But seeing as she used to be in a gang, and information is 'important' to say the least, perhaps it's not so surprising that some of those 'tendencies' or 'quirks' transferred over? Rissa knows that knowledge can be power. Plus, the gossip mill can be pretty entertaining. How she can pick out 'accurate' and 'definite gossip' from each other though, is a skill specific to Rissa, and unexplainable by anyone but herself, really.

And she's not exactly above extortion and blackmail either...

As for Rei's reference to Kiku's aura giving off a 'strange vibe' and why she can't tell about the 'curse'. Rei has never encountered anything like the Nation's 'curse' in either her studies or simply in her life in general. She knows that something's different about him, but she can't accurately say what since she doesn't know what it is. Hence why it's simply 'strange'. And since Rei's abilities are specific to herself, it's rather hard to explain to 'non-psychics' exactly what she's 'seeing' or 'reading' from the 'auras' around her.

**Chapter 3:**

JULIANA'S JOB AS A JANITOR: Where exactly is she working? And how, exactly, did she end up getting hired as a Janitor?

Well, Juliana is working for a business office in the more urban section of the area they all live in. She and Rissa are both old enough to hold part-time jobs, as well. They all go to an international school, but as with any school, so long as they have permission to work part-time then they're legally allowed to hold part-time jobs outside of school. It's also the reason why it's mentioned in Chapter 2 that Juliana has to pay 'school fees'. It's cheaper for U.S. citizens, and they usually have to 'test in', but it also accepts foreign students. Hence why it's an 'international school'. It sort of borders the edge of 'public' and 'private' schools in a way.

As for how she got hired as a Janitor, Juliana is quite hard-working and she would have come with recommendations. Either that, or her grandpa probably knew some people. Even if no one expected her to go for a Janitorial job.

Actually, Juliana applied for quite a few, and ended up choosing the Janitor job, since she can work at sometimes odd but consistent hours, and the jobs that people usually 'don't want' usually pay pretty high since no one else wants to do them.

Of course, Juliana started at the 'beginners level', but she's been working there long enough to be treated as regular Janitorial staff.

KIKU AND FRANCIS 'ARGUE' ABOUT SASHIMI AND ESCARGOT: Why are they arguing when both are 'raw foods'? How come there's no comment on 'charcoal cooking'...?

Well, they're both cultural foods, would be the easiest way to explain, I suppose? I mean, not everyone likes raw fish, and not everyone like raw snails. It's more of a preference type thing, though their nationalities do play a part in it. Francis dislikes wasabi which is generally spicy -sometimes to the point of eye-burning. While Kiku, knowing how lazy Francis can be, doesn't exactly trust the blonde to prepare 'raw foods'. It's likely to be... both unhealthy and unsanitary.

As for the 'charcoal' bit from the original Fruits Basket scene, well... we all know these two can cook. It's just, Francis is lazy, so when it's his turn, he usually got take out. Kiku, of course, would get tired of it. But since Francis sorta turned their kitchen into a 'sea of decay'...well, they couldn't exactly cook anymore, could they? And the only things they could prepare would be 'instant' or 'raw', and, well, they're both 'gourmets' in their own ways, and picky about different things, so...

No instant noodles and the like. Besides, we all know that Iggy's the one that 'can't cook' after all~

**Chapter 4:**

FRANCIS KNOWING ABOUT THE LANDSLIDE / UNDERSTANDING AND HAVING A 'LINK' TO HIS NATIONAL ANIMALS: How did Francis know about the landslide when it has nothing to do with his nation? And what about his National Animals? How exactly does he 'understand' them or know what's going on with them? How come Kiku doesn't know about, though?

As 'France', Francis' curse allows him to maintain a link to his nation's animal. It helps that they can turn into said animal, so they can understand what they're saying. As for the landslide, it had nothing to do with his 'link' to his country but more to do with the curse and the inherent part of him caused by the curse that allows him to understand his National Animal.

As he has a link with the Gallic Roosters anyways -just as Kiku has a 'link' with the Red-Crowned Crane- both he and Kiku have at least one flock of the birds living around the mountain. A population of wild Roosters and Cranes aren't too hard to draw in when the family they belong to is rich, though whether it's due to their being nations that the Roosters appear and/or are 'attracted' to the area they live in or they simply imported some so as to feel 'closer' to their Nation, is hard to say after all.

Since they're kind of stuck in the U.S. due to a certain someone's orders, it's sort of like having a piece of 'home' with them in the formal of their animal counterparts.

The reason Kiku doesn't know much about the slide, is due to his Animal -being a Crane- living closer to a water source rather than simply roaming the woods as Francis' Roosters do. So since the Roosters were actually close enough to be affected, Francis instinctively 'knows' what's happened because his animals 'know'. Part of why he plays it off as 'animal instinct', since it's literally the instincts and connection to his National Animal side that he knows.

And, as said, Kiku's birds, which closer to water sources, aren't as affected since they're usually in the water, or are far enough away not to hear or feel it by anything other than any 'gossip' that the other animals share.

JULIANA'S FEVER: Why doesn't she notice that she's got a fever? And how is she better by the next day?

Well, Juliana's been pretty stressed lately, so she didn't even notice that her budding 'headache' was due to a fever. She tends to push herself anyways, and living out in the woods in a tent really isn't conducive to good health when she's working extra hours to help pay for things as well as save money for college on top of her school work and another million other little things.

She's also got a pretty strong immune system, as well, so it's not too hard to believe that a night's rest might have done the trick, since she's actually not as stressed (aside from the picture, which she really does know is alright, but can't help worrying anyways) and she was actually able to get a good night's rest. In a bed. And with some medication and whatever help Francis and Kiku gave. Or, well, Francis since Kiku went to get her things out from under all that earth.

**Chapter 5:**

FRANCIS' DECISION TO LET JULIANA STAY WITHOUT CONSULTING 'THAT PERSON': How come France let Juliana stay at his house? Or Kiku, for that matter? Why did they both agree? And how come they didn't let 'That Person' know?

Francis let Juliana stay more due to whim than anything else. Kiku was already feeling 'attached', or rather, due to her unwitting 'sob story' the two can't help but to want to help her. It's also a plus that she can do house-chores though that wasn't factored in until later of course.

They didn't need to let _Him_ know, since it was more 'private stuff' and their decision to do so. So long as they don't plan on or aren't "breaking any of the rules/laws of the family", they're allowed to do whatever they want. So long as they didn't reveal their secret, then 'He' would never have had to know. Especially since the two didn't really plan on her staying for too long, since the remodeling of her grandpa's house would/should be done soon.

**Chapter 6:**

KIKU'S DISLIKE OF 'EUROPEAN CLOTHES' AND WHY HE EVEN HAS THEM: Why does Kiku still keep the clothes if he doesn't like or even wear them?

Kiku is rather practical, and prefers not to 'waste' things. Plus, it'd be rude if he simply gave away or got rid of something that was a 'gift' from someone. Who keeps sending him 'European Style Clothing'? Well, that'll have to be found out later on of course!

ARTHUR'S 'GIANT (FUZZY) CATERPILLAR' EYEBROWS AND THE ROOF BREAK-IN: How exactly does Juliana mistake Arthur's eyebrows as 'giant caterpillars'? Why the hell did Arthur _break in through the roof_ of Francis' House? And how did he even know that they were in that room specifically?

Well, you have to admit, those eyebrows... heh. Well, it was more humor and Juliana's odd/strange thinking about things that probably (definitely) caused that misunderstanding since they're quite thick after all~

As for the roof break in... We all know he 'hates' France with a bloody passion, and tend not to think too much when he's pissed. So is it really surprising he took what could be deemed the 'fastest way' to get the 'bastard' at that time? As far as knowing where they are though, Arthur learned some 'martial arts' and has 'trained' to try to keep a reign on his emotions (though we all know it's useless with out beloved tsundere, ne~?) so it shouldn't be too far a stretch for him to 'learn to sense others' like some martial artists can? Or rather, those that have been properly trained anyways.

Of course, all that 'training' without other people around have killed his social skills a bit as well~ As for who trained him... Well, that's another things for another time.

**Chapter 7:**

ARTHUR TOPPING FRANCIS YET STILL BEING AN OUTCAST: How come Arthur supposedly keeps beating Francis, but 'nothing changes'? Also, why is he still supposedly an 'outcast' still, if he can beat him?

Well, Arthur, of course, is skilled in the martial arts, since he's actually trained for it. Unlike Canon!England, though he is still a gentleman, his 'lack of social skills' sort of doesn't help when he's interacting with other people, and his normal tsundere tendencies have been amplified. Of course, he still keeps getting riled up by a certain French Nation, so he still sort of at least partially lost due to 'falling' for the provocations.

Francis is purposely poking at his weak/sore points after all, so even if he wins the actual physical fight, he's still lost for giving into Francis' jibes anyways.

As for why he's still an 'outcast'... Remember, it's been mentioned in an earlier chapter that he was outcast for his use in 'magic'. It probably doesn't help that he 'sees things', which, by now, he's come to regard as some type of schizophrenia. The seeing of things that 'aren't there'.

Of course, _we_ know that he can actually see such things for whatever reason, but no one else knows, after all. So that's just another point for him remaining an outcast. Even Canon!Russia is more normal than him in that regard, after all. Even with his yandere tendencies (and Natalya/Belarus').

Plus, he still uses 'black' magic and curses sometimes. Whether Buzby's chair or any other demonic influences appear later will have to be seen, though. This is a cross-over!AU, after all!

**Chapter 7-8:**

KIKU'S 'SHADOW KING' / MANIPULATIVE PERSONA: How come Kiku has the 'cunning/manipulative/shadow-king' like persona? Isn't he supposed to be meek and unable to 'deny' requests and such?

Though it's true that Canon!Kiku is like that (unable to 'argue' and is more meek in the original Japanese version, at least), this Kiku's developed a bit of a backbone due to his past experiences. Again, this is an XAU so of course, certain things are different, and though they're still 'themselves' their past experiences of course have changed a few things.

First of all, he's living with Francis, and is occasionally stuck between Francis and Arthur's fighting. After long enough, it shouldn't be surprising that he might 'snap'. Being the type of person who like to keep things in, especially, it's actually pretty normal for that sort of persona to appear. Even if only as a sort of 'defense mechanism'.

Kiku remains unimpressed by Francis' juvenile personality and actions at times, and is equally as unimpressed by Arthur's short temper and hotheadedness.

As a side note, due to this developed persona from so much contact with 'immature people', and all that suppression (which, of course, isn't healthy), he's also a bit more OCD yet still far more lax than he was in Canon!Verse. Such as allowing Francis' kitchen to run rampant, yet still refusing to be late and still being an 'exceeds expectations' student.

His more cunning and calculative side also makes an appearance in the next chapter (chapter 8) where he questions Francis' motives. Not only has he become used to Francis in general, but he has also become 'sharper' at spotting bullshit, and seeing through most of Francis' attempts at 'getting out of doing work' most of the time as well.

On that note, his 'fear' and trauma from the past incident where an entire group of children had to have their 'memories erased', has also caused a few psychological changes in our dear Asian. At such a young age, and being told that he's 'strange' and would be 'hated', he of course believed 'Kami-sama', since it had already been supported by the other children's reactions. Such a thing would of course, cause mental scars in such a young child. One of the reasons he keeps others at 'arms length' so to speak.

Of course, he's also rather distrustful of Francis in general, as noted quite a few times throughout the chapters so far, most recently in chapter 9 when he questions Francis about what happened when he went to meet 'That Person'.

**Chapter 9: **

THE GILDED BIRDCAGE: Why is there even a section on something that was barely mentioned?

Not much really, but figured this chapter would be rather... lonely... without something to go over. Plus, the writer in me wonders if anyone caught the hidden metaphors and meanings in that little flashback? Or the hint to the appearance of one of the future characters in one of the previous chapters? That's all for now, though. This has gotten quite long, and I'm sure you'd all rather I get to working on the next few chapters/the third segment that's left so we can get onto the rest of what's been planned so far~~?

Of course, you weren't required to read any of course, but it's still fun to speculate about, right~? Anyways, _Addio~~_ And see you all whenever I get the next chapter done! I've still got work, classes, and life in general keeping my schedule hectic and busy after all~


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: **...I give... there's just no way I can cut 204 words out of the chapter. Nup, no way. At it's at least sooorta close? Still 'around 2-3k' I suppose.

Anyways, yet another un-beta'd chapter, fresh off the keyboard. I'm going to bed, gotta wake up early to find parking space for classes tomorrow...urgh.

Anyways, enjoy and hopefully I won't be too bogged down once homework starts getting assigned to type some more...

Now have more Iggy, France, Kiku, and Jules (for whom I am debating adding 'Julia' as a nickname)...

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers Apply. Please see first chapter.

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**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 10** (Word Count: 3,204; Post Date: 8/26/2014)

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"Ah..." Kiku stared at the room before him, he'd known that Bennett had decided to start with the kitchen, but considering that only half an afternoon had passed...

He really hadn't been expecting much progress. So _this_...

The teen blinked spots from his vision, almost squinting as he shaded his eyes from the sparkles, the room looked so brilliant. Although, perhaps brilliant was a bit of an understatement. This was most definitely cleaner than he'd ever seen the place. In fact, he was quite sure that it looked even cleaner and nicer than when it'd all been nice and brand new...

"You've done quite well with the kitchen, Bennett-san," impressed, the brown-eyed teen complimented the girl, admiring the cleanliness of the room.

"Eheheh~~ I did my best~!" she beamed, proud of her accomplishment. "Oh! And, dinner's ready as well, by the way!" she recalled, smiling contently as she moved to grab some of the dinnerware, conveniently revealing an electric cooker that sat on the counter top.

Kiku blinked. "We... have a rice-cooker...?" he asked, staring incredulously at the machine. How surprising, though that did bring about the question of how the girl knew how to use it. He really doubted that the manual was still in the house, after all, let alone the kitchen!

Juliana simply smiled, bringing over a set of four bowls. "I managed to unearth it~" she told the Japanese teen, "Where are Arthur and Francis, by the way...?" she asked, curious. "It's been rather quite for a while now..."

"Hm?" Kiku tore his eyes away from the wondrous discovery of _The Rice-Cooker_ (yes, it needed the caps and italics) to face her. "Oh, Francis-san mentioned something about going out to take care of something our Head asked him to do and dragged Arthur-san along with him," he said by way of explanation.

Honestly though, even if Francis hadn't left with Arthur, he doubted that the Briton would be able to stay so quiet for long...

"Ah, I see! Then I suppose I should put these away for now...?" she trailed off, looking down at the two extra bowls she'd retrieved.

"Well, I don't think you'll need to put them away. From what Francis-san was saying, I don't believe they'll be away for too much longer," he informed the girl. "They left a couple hours ago, you know."

"Eh?" Juliana blinked, "Really?" She... hadn't noticed at all, to be honest. Then again, she'd been so focused on cleaning up the kitchen... And then trying to figure out what to whip up for dinner, when she'd had the good luck of finding a few still edible foodstuffs in the freezer once that'd been unearthed.

And, well... she may have completely reorganized and rearranged a _few_ (or rather, all) of the cabinets so that dinnerware, utensils, seasonings, and the like weren't all mixed together for easier access and use.

Honestly, she was still rather surprised that they'd managed to live in the house so long with the kitchen in the state it'd been.

Seriously, from the layers of filth in there, she'd have to guess that it'd been piling up for almost a year at least.

"Then, I should probably prepare their share as well," she decided, glad to know she hadn't made too much of an error.

"Do you need any help carrying the food out?" Kiku asked as she started scooping the rice out.

"Eh? Oh, uhm... I suppose... Where do you normally eat?" she asked.

"The other room," he responded, walking over to the counter that held all the delicious looking -and smelling- platters not to far from where Juliana was working. 'I believe it was the one we first received you in," he added, recalling her outburst at the time with a somewhat dry chuckle.

Even though she'd been sick, she'd still managed to be so energetic...

"O-oh," she blushed, quite obviously thinking about the same thing if the somewhat awkward silence that fell upon them was any indication.

"I-in that case, then, please feel free to start setting it on the table!" she started, trying to break the silence and make things at least a bit 'normal' again (if there'd ever even been such a thing).

"Y-yes. Of course," Kiku agreed before taking a few dishes and hastily making his exit.

How... awkward...

Meanwhile, Juliana simply continued to scoop servings of the rice, making sure everyone else got the same amount (since she tended not to really eat as much, anyway), before covering the rice bowls with the cute little matching lid-plates she'd found earlier, carefully stacking them to carry just as Kiku returned.

"Ah, here. Please let me help," Kiku started, taking the top two so that they didn't have to worry about the rice falling.

"Oh! Uhm, thanks, Kiku!" she smiled, following the boy to the table. "I'll just go get the utensils then, if you don't mind grabbing the last few dishes?" she asked.

"Not at all," he told her, a slight smile on his face as he set the two bowls he held down on the table in their appropriate places.

By the time Kiku got back to the kitchen, Juliana was nowhere in sight, though he didn't worry about it too much, getting the last few dishes as requested before stopping to close the utensil drawer.

Not seeing his chopsticks and a few of the other utensils, however, he paused, wondering if, perhaps, he'd somehow managed to pass her without knowing. When he moved to walk out of the kitchen, however, he almost ended up walking right into the person he'd begun to wonder after.

"Ah-!" Thankfully, both parties managed to stop in time though.

"O-oh, Kiku, you startled me!" Juliana admitted as they headed back to what was apparently the dining room and not the living room as she'd previously thought.

"My apologies, Bennett-san... though, you startled me too," he admitted as well.

He'd almost dropped the food -which would have been such a huge waste...

"S-sorry," she apologized sheepishly.

"Where did you go, anyways?" Kiku asked, curious when he realized that she had an extra set of chopsticks with her. He'd been quite sure that his had been the only set of non-disposable chopsticks in the house...

"Oh, I went to get my chopsticks," she told him. "I figured you wouldn't mind me bringing my own pair when I saw the one you had in the drawer..."

"Ah," Kiku nodded understandingly. The chopsticks she'd mentioned were the ones he usually used, but with the fact that they'd been eating out as of late -especially after the kitchen had been turned into an ocean of trash- he had simply used the disposable pair that usually came with the take-out.

And, okay, so maaaybe it had also been rather entertaining to watch Francis fumble around with the chopsticks, give up, try to eat with his fingers until he got reprimanded, before having to bear with eating rather sloppily using said utensils. It was like watching a child learning to use them for the first time...

"In any case, should we wait or did you want to eat first?" she asked as they finished setting the table.

"We should probably wait," Kiku barely started before his stomach made known that it simply did _not_ like that idea, thank you very much!

Juliana couldn't help the giggle that escaped when she saw Kiku's embarrassed expression, one hand moving to cover his rebellious stomach as if that would be enough to appease it.

"I'm sure they won't mind if we go ahead without them," she said, smiling. "It's not healthy to let her stomach go empty for too long, you know," she chided gently.

Kiku smiles sheepishly. "That is true..." he admitted as they sat down together.

"Shall we dig in, then?" she smiled, holding up her chopsticks beside him.

"Yes," Kiku agreed. "_Itadakimasu..._" he began, picking up his bowl of rice as well as his chopsticks. It felt a little awkward being the only one to say it, but-

"_Itadakimasu!_" Startled, Kiku blinked and looked over to see Jules clapping her hands together, still holding her own utensils before picking up her own bowl. Noticing his look, she smiled. "It's a bit awkward to be the only one to do it, right?" was all she said in response to his look.

"Ah..." Kiku blinked again in surprise, but smiled. "Thank you, Bennett-san..." he said as they dug in.

"There's no need for that, Kiku!" she protested, still smiling. "I'm just glad I'm not the only one using chopsticks, to be honest," she admitted sheepishly.

"I see," he nodded, understanding the sentiment. Tasting the food, however, he paused. "It's...good..." he murmured, somehow surprised by the fact as he tasted the food.

"Ah, you think so?" she asked, "I-it's not too bland?" she wondered, nervously watching the other as he ate. "I tend not to use a lot of salt, so some people say there's not much taste... and I wasn't really sure if you preferred lighter or heavier flavors," she confessed.

"No, I'm surprised you didn't add more salt, really. I actually prefer the light taste," he assured her, smiling partially in nostalgia. "It's been a while since I've had a home-cooked meal like this, too," he admitted, recalling the meals he used to share with his 'brother'.

"Really?" she asked, "Francis never cooked...?"

"Well, yes, he did," he admitted, "But I meant an eastern meal. Usually (before it became 'the sea of decay') it was either Francis or myself cooking," he told her. "We... used to have someone who cooked for us..." he frowned after a moment, not quite able to recall just who it was that had kept the house so well-kept and had cooked all those times. "But they seemed to have disappeared sometime after Arthur-san did as well for some reason..." he admitted, furrowing his brows in confusion.

Why couldn't he remember properly...? he wondered. It was so strange. Usually Kiku had such a good memory, so this sort of thing...

"Ah... is that so...?" Juliana started, tilting her head slightly. "That's odd," she agreed, though not quite as understanding about just _how_ strange it was. Judging from the perplexed look on Kiku's face, however, she could only guess that it was definitely unusual.

Kiku nodded. "It was, but we've learned to live with it. And when I asked, Francis said he couldn't recall hiring any help at all, so..." he shrugged.

It'd just been rather strange, was all.

"Oh, I...see," she managed as they decided to concentrate on eating for a while.

After a while, however, conversation was started again.

"...So... where do you think Francis and Arthur went...?" Juliana wondered, turning to look at the clock. It was nearly eight and still, there was no sign of either blonde.

"I'm... not quite sure, actually," Kiku realized, pausing his meal to look at the time as well. "It's getting rather late, though..." The boy frowned.

"...I hope they come back soon," Juliana murmured, eating once more as Kiku nodded.

"It would be a shame for the food you made to get cold," he agreed.

"Eheh~" Juliana couldn't help the smile that appeared. It was almost surreal, how things had changed in just the past day. Here she was, eating dinner with Kiku Honda, a boy who could transform into the National Animal of Japan. Strange, right...?

It was almost like a fairy tale...

"Oh, that's right. You went out earlier as well, didn't you?" she started, recalling that she'd seen the other leaving from the kitchen window she'd opened in order to air the room out. "Did you go shopping?" she wondered.

Kiku blinked, finishing the food in his mouth before answering. "Oh, no. I was simply in the backyard, Bennett-san." A moment's pause, hesitation on his face before he decided to continue. "I was... in my secret base," he confided sheepishly.

"Secret...Base...?" she blinked, curious. "Oh, that sounds so exciting!" she thought, eyes lighting up as she imagined what any child might see as a typical secret base. Though, to be honest, the one she thought of looked more like a fort than an actual secret base.

Kiku chuckled almost as if he could guess what she was thinking. "It's not what you think," he warned her. "But...

"If you want, I can show it to you next time," he promised, smiling at the way her eyes seemed to sparkle.

"R-really? Are you sure?" she asked, practically squealing. "Oh wow, I get to see a real Secret Base!" she cheered.

Kiku smiled, watching and listening indulgently as she began to ramble. She was really quite interesting.

"...and- oh, but girls weren't allowed..." she pout, recalling the only one she could recall. Some boys in her neighborhood at the time had built one. But, quite obviously, it had been a 'boys only' base. "Ah, but I can't wait see yours!" she grinned. Honestly, she couldn't. It was quite an exciting prospect -and the fact that he seemed to trust her enough to even _tell_ her about it...! Well, let's just say that Juliana was quite a happy girl.

But, as with all things, even the good had to come to an end, as the door slammed open, revealing a very irritable Briton who was being followed closely by an oddly serious France. The previously muffled argument becoming clear as they entered the room.

"Just listen to me for une moment, Angleterre!" Francis called as Arthur stalked into the room._  
_

"_Shut up, you bloody wanker!_" the Briton snarled, "_Arghhh! _I hate you so much, you Stupid Frog! Do you really get that much entertainment from playing around with a person's life?!" the green-eyed blonde demanded.

"Well... Oui, now that you mention it, I do... -but this is for your own good, Arthur!" the Frenchman insisted, chasing after at a bit of a slower pace.

"_YOUR PERSUASIVE SKILLS ARE BLOODY TERRIBLE, YOU GIT!_" Arthur yelled, not even looking back as the other blonde followed behind him.

"Erhm... W-welcome... home?" Juliana blinked as Arthur passed. "Dinner's-"

"NOT BLEEDIN' HUNGRY!" Arthur snapped, slamming the door as he passed through.

"Eh..." A bit taken back at Arthur's anger -though she probably shouldn't really have been so surprised- she could only listen as his feet stomped up the stairs in the direction of his own room.

"Arthur-!" Francis tried again. "Angleterre, don't take this out on Jeune Julia-!" he called, even as he began to pull his shoes off. "And come back down here _cet instant_ and take those shoes off ! ! !"

"..."

"He's right, you know... You really do need to work on your persuasive skills, Francis-san," Kiku pointed out blandly.

"Ah!" Julia blinked after a moment. "This is the first time I've seen you in a suit!" she realized, "You look very nice, Francis."

"Oui? You really think so~?" he asked, striking a little post as he ignored the comments about his persuasive skills. He could be perfectly persuasive when he wanted, _merci beaucoup!_

"...Oh yes, you remind me of a talk-show host, Francis-san," Kiku drawled.

"Ohohoh~" Francis smirked, before noticing the spread on the table. "Oooh, dinner's ready?" The blonde smiled as he sat down and picked up a fork.

"Oh, yes!" Juliana remembered, "Please, sit!" she insisted, though perhaps a bit late.

"...Uhm, Francis...?" she started after a while.

"Oui, Jeune Julia?" he said once he finished his mouthful of food.

"W-why...is Arthur so mad...?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, that... Best to leave that _sot_ alone. I tricked him into taking a proficiency test," he admitted.

"A... proficiency test...?" she blinked. That... Wasn't that the test that people took to see what grade that person would be put in if they had to transfer into a school for whatever reason...?

"Oui," he smirked. "As of tomorrow, Angleterre shall be attending the same high school as you!" he announced proudly.

"...Well, that certainly explains the smirk," Kiku deadpanned, mumbling under his breath as he ate some more vegetables.

"Oh, really?!" she asked, eyes shining in excitement until she recalled the other's reaction. "But... then why was he so upset about it...?" she wondered.

Francis remained quiet for a moment as he chewed his food thoughtfully.

Would Angleterre kill him if he told her...? he wondered.

...Nah, it was _such_ a minor thing~ he decided, swallowing.

"Well, you see. The last time Angleterre took a proficiency test, he didn't attend the private all-boys academy even though he passed," he explained. "Instead, he went missing for little over a year.

"No one knew where he's been up til now," he continued, looking serious despite the fact that he'd long since stripped the suit off. "I found out where he's been for so long, today. It seems he has been 'training' in the mountains..."

Kiku blinked. 'Training...?" he repeated, staring at the Frenchman as he paused, chopsticks halfway to his mouth.

"You mean... like, sitting under a waterfall and wrestling beats to find himself? That kind of training?!" she exclaimed, eyes round.

"Er... well, something like that, I suppose. Oui."

"But... what would he do with that sort of training...?" Jules wondered, more than a little confused.

"..." Not even Francis knew the answer to this, though Kiku seemed to have some idea.

"It's probably to control his anger," Kiku decided at last, surprising the other two.

"Oh?" Francis blinked, startled by the theory while Juliana simply looked surprised.

"Eh? Arthur has Anger issues?" she blinked.

"..." There was a pause as both males stared, sweating slightly at her density. Had she _really_ not noticed all the anger management issues the blonde had til now...?

Jules simply tilted her head in confusion as the two sighed.

"Arthur-san has always been rather... quick-tempered," Kiku said at last. "It's gotten into trouble more than a few times, Bennett-san."

Francis nodded in agreement. "That _sot_," he murmured, only a little fondly as he thought about what an idiot the other blonde could be.

He'd been gone for _over a year_ and yet there'd still been no visible progress. Well, okay, so maybe it took just a little bit longer to get him riled up, but the male was still too easily annoyed! Francis thought, that foolish and gullible idiot... And the 'trip' had also resulted in his social and communication abilities deteriorating as well.

"Oh..." was all Juliana managed, falling quiet -nearly subdued- as she thought.

The rest of dinner continued in peaceful silence.


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: **So, finally got around to finishing this chapter. Whoop-de-doo.

Ugh, been so busy lately, and classes starting up, and me realizing that I've _forgotten way too much_ over the two week (for Chinese) or month-long (Japanese) break...

Crap. Anyways, here's the next un-beta'd chapter, fresh off the keyboard once again!

...I should probably get my chores done before starting the next one, blugh.

Disclaimer: Do I really need to repeat myself...? Oh, fine. Once more then: Standard Disclaimers Apply. (Please see First Chapter)

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**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 11** (Word Count: 2,633; Post Date: 8/30/2014)

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"Where?!" "D'you see 'im?" "Yeah, over there! The blonde kid with the giant eyebrows!" "What~~? Are you serious?!" "They don't look like each other at all!"

A few random girls giggled off to the side.

"Heehee~ Are those eyebrows for real?!"

Half the school had appeared just to see 'Kiku's Cousin', but judging from the irritated and nervous look on his face...

'He-he's getting scared...!' Jocelyn thought almost fretfully, watching alongside her two friends from a safe vantage point as the congregation seemed to grow.

"Heh. He acts like he's never been 'round girls," Rissa smirked, a bit of her sadistic nature coming out as she watched the poor blonde squirm.

"Hey, hey! Are you _really _Kiku's cousin?!" a girl asked the poor Brit -who looked just about ready to explode.

"...He gives off an aura similar to Kiku's..." Rei murmured, nibbling on some chips.

"It's almost as if they weren't completely human..."

"Aha...ha...ha..." Jocelyn sweat, she'd forgotten that Rei could read auras so well, panicking just a bit at the possibility that her friend might find out about their 'secret' so easily.

"Huh, really?" Rissa glanced back at the platinum-haired girl curiously before turning her attention back to the on-going 'drama'. "That's interesting," she murmured, finishing the last of the stick of pocky that'd been the reason for Rei opening a pack of potato chips.

Off to the side, Kiku was being questioned by some of the upperclassmen that had gathered in their Homeroom. Still, he seemed to take it all in stride as he continued to write in his notebook.

"Hey, Kiku, is it true that your cousin transferred here?" asked a raven-haired senior. "Think you can introduce us~?" she asked, giggling.

"...?" Kiku paused in his writing to look up, pasting a polite smile on for the female as he apologized. "My apologies, senpai, but while it's true that he is my cousin... We really aren't that close," he explained, partially out of pity as he could see that Arthur was getting quite overwhelmed by all the attention.

"Aw~~" The girl pout, "Well, that's alright then~ I'll stop bothering you. Thanks anyway~!" she called back, walking away.

Kiku simply nodded without thought as he went back to his work -though, what he was working on that was so important was a bit of a question as well... S.G.O. related, perhaps?

"Ah. Ar...thur...?" she blinked when the sound of a chair being pushed back caught her attention, eyes wandering back over to see said blonde getting up and stalking away.

It seemed that he really couldn't handle being around so many people after all...

"Ah-! Hey, wait! Where're you going~? Let's talk~~!"

One of the more forward girls made a grab at the poor Briton's arm before anyone could warn or stop her.

And, stressed as he was, Arthur immediately reacted via autopilot, detaining the girl without warning -and in a rather painful way.

It seemed he _had_ cracked, after all.

"Ah-! L-let go! That- that _hurts_-!" she exclaimed as she found herself on the ground, arm twisted behind her back.

"A-Arthur-!" Jocelyn started, rushing over. "Wh-what's wrong?" she asked, her friends following after.

"Hey, hey! Chill, малыш (malysh/kid)!" called the tallest of the trio, "C'mon, let 'er go, идет (idet/ok) ?"

"J..."

" 'J...'?"

"_Just leave me the bloody hell alone, you wankers-!_" The blonde exclaimed at last, making a dash for the closest window in his panic and, pulling both the glass and mesh covering up...

He jumped.

A few girls screamed, fearing that he'd been suicidal, as a few others rushed over to the window.

"W-wait! This is the second floor-!" another girl exclaimed as she reached the window.

They were too late, however, as the green-eyed youth landed expertly and dashed off.

There was a moment of silence as quite a few students were shocked into speechlessness. Rei, despite being quiet, was more surprised than shocked, however, as she pondered just what this could mean.

She'd seen the boy's aura flaring dangerously, the color darkening and flicking in anger, anxiety, and... _fear_, definitely fear. As to why... well, she had no idea.

Still, it was something to ponder. For now, however...

"Oh my gosh! Did you _see_ that?!" a few of the more excitable students began to chatter and gossip.

"That was amazing!" exclaimed another student.

"Yeah! That Arthur sure is special!"

"_Special?_ He's a freak! This is the _second floor_-!" exclaimed another, as the girl that'd been the cause of all the mayhem sniffled, crying though it was more out of frustration than anything.

"How _dare_ he pick on a girl?!"

"..." It seemed that the only ones with no comments to make were Kiku, and Jocelyn and her two friends.

Rissa laughed, "What an interesting guy~!" she grinned as Jocelyn gave a weak laugh.

It wasn't everyday one saw a boy jump out a second story window, after all...

* * *

Out by a deserted portion of the school (everyone else was either inside or in class, after all), a certain blonde was panting lightly from his excursion as he forced himself to calm, hands balled into fists in his lap as he scowled. He took a few deep breaths, sitting down on a low wall in the cool shade of some trees.

He'd done it again. He'd just..._exploded_. And in front of all those 'normal' people as well...

They probably thought he was some kind of freak now, too... Just _great_. He couldn't help the soft growl of agitation that escaped despite his otherwise calm demeanor, unaware of the figure that silently closed in on the male.

"...Arthur-san." Even with the quiet tone Kiku used, he still ended up startling the man, head snapping up to face his 'cousin' -though it was really a rather loose word for their relationship...

"O-oh... Kiku, it's you," the blonde mumbled, looking decidedly more relieved, though the worried look quickly returned as he opened his mouth to speak once more. "L-look, about what happened in the classroom-" he started.

Kiku shook his head.

"It's alright, Arthur-san. Just please, try not to cause such a ruckus anymore -it's...a little bothersome for me to explain..." he told the other.

Properly chastised, the blond looked away for a moment before scowling. "I still don't understand why you go to a school that's so full of bleedin' _girls_..." he grumbled, though it was more of a resigned sigh than a building argument. He really couldn't understand, though.

For a moment, Kiku remained silent, taking a seat beside the Briton and folding his hands in his lap as he stared into their open palms, before deciding to answer despite the fact that they'd both known it'd been a rhetorical question. Finally speaking up again after taking the moment to sort his thoughts into a coherent explanation.

"Because it is far better than hiding in fear everyday," he decided at last. "That or going to an all boys' Academy or being home-schooled on His orders," he continued.

Arthur blinked, staring at the other in surprise. Sure, he knew the other as a rather deep thinker -but this? And the fact that he was doing so because he _wanted_ to disobey the one that was their 'God'...

It seemed that he -and many others- had underestimated the diminutive Asian.

"I... want to be able to come out of the 'cage' we're stuffed inside. Even if it's only for a little bit," he continued, gaze averting to the leafy branches overhead. "I honestly can not understand why you wish to live in that cage so badly -but I would not begrudge you your freedom of thought," he spoke carefully, picking his words and trying not to be too blunt as he was told he could sometimes be.

Even a blunt knife could cut. Perhaps not as cleanly as one that's been sharpened, but it could still cut nonetheless.

"I..." the blonde swallowed, feelings mixed as he tried to put a lid on the anger he felt -partially caused by his 'shame' though why he felt that way... he, himself, had yet to understand. "You... don't understand," he said at last.

"Francis, that _bloody_ frog..." he started, but even saying the fool's name was like a catalyst for the emerald-eyed teen.

"I-I'll definitely beat him! That ruddy bastard!" he grit his teeth, trying not to 'explode' as he'd already done once before that day. "I don't _want_ to be shunned by the others!" he exclaimed, an angry fist slamming into the wall beside him, oblivious to the blood pooling around it from the impact with the rough stone.

"I'll get stronger and be acknowledged again!" he exclaimed, panting as he found himself standing on the concrete, blood dripping from his hand as if it were part of some manly pact.

Beside him, Kiku watched almost apathetically. He'd known that the explosion would've come at some point, though he still made the mistake of replying though he knew he shouldn't have.

The Brit needed it, however. An outlet for his anger, his hatred -his _pain_...

"I still don't see why you think it's so wonderful for us to be what we are," he spoke up at least, though not with any scorn or any of any type. Yet still, the blonde ended up taking it the wrong way in his rage.

"Shut up!" he exclaimed, grabbing the other teen by the collar. "_Shut-up-shut-up-shut-up-SHUT UP!  
_

"_YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND A THING ABOUT ME-!_"

"NO!" the sudden cry surprised them both, as they caught a flash of long hair before the Brit felt a warm weight slam into him. "You can't!" she exclaimed, having mistaken the boy's earlier move as aggression.

"Ah..." she blinked, only just realizing what she'd done, but still, she tried to 'stop' him nonetheless. "I'm so sorry! Uhm, well, I know you're angry but please! Don't fight anymore...!" she babbled on, unaware of the now-feline male's growing ire. "Y-you'll get in trouble for fighting at school so-"

"**Oh shut up!**" the feline exclaimed. "**I don't _care_ if I get in trouble, so stay out of my way, already!**" he snapped, causing even more of a misunderstanding as he exploded.

"Arthur-san..." Perhaps this hadn't been such a good idea after all... The brunette started, watching the British Feline rail at the poor girl.

"**I CAN'T EVEN STAND TO SEE YOUR FACE!**"

For a moment, all three stood in silence, each sporting different expressions. One surprised at the vehemence, another shocked by the realization of what he'd just done, and last apathetic and unimpressed. No one moved as the only female of the trio got up, frozen as, eyes shadowed and expression unreadable, she walked off.

"**Ah...**" Unfrozen, Arthur tried to speak up to fix his mistake -but as always, he was just a little too late.

She was already gone...

As the two males stood there, only one thought had repeated itself throughout the girl's head, winding itself into her brain.

He..._hated_ her... He really hated her!

As she disappeared from view, Kiku sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "You went too far with that, you know," was all he could say before he walked away from the feline.

"**...You're not going to hit me...?**" he asked quietly.

"No," he answered, stopping for a moment. "I believe there are times when it hurts more not to," he finished, before leaving to see if he could do some damage control.

And so it was, with those words ringing through his ears, that Arthur Kirkland remained, only reaching a silent paw to pull his shirt over once both humans were gone from view.

Kiku had been right, of course. It'd hurt a lot more that the other _hadn't_ hit him.

After all, even though the other was a pacifist at heart, he was still an expert martial artist -and he could probably have sent _both_ Arthur and Francis flying if he were annoyed enough.

And yet he never did.

After all, it apparently wasn't worth it to break up a fight that would simply happen again later. Not when he could simply let it run its course for now... Well, at least until there was a good enough reason for him _to_ step in, anyway.

* * *

_"That's it! I'll stop being American and become British...!"_

She'd actually meant that. She'd really cried, too, when she'd found out that he'd been ostracized as he had -simply for being different. And as she got older, she realized, for having a more 'open mind'.

Not to mention the fact that he'd been tricked into being so late for the Millennial Banquet that God had thrown, causing many to believe he was arrogant when he'd arrived as he had -his first Millennial Banquet, too..

Even though he hadn't known, because he'd chosen to believe in the other Nation that so liked to tease him.

And of course, the fact that he'd chosen the Lion -a proud and majestic animal- as his National Animal hadn't exactly helped, either...

* * *

"Ah... what should I do...?" she wondered, staring dazedly at a wall, as she recalled a few memories.

She'd ended up sitting on the floor o an empty hall (self-punishment) thinking over what she could do.

Should she apologize to him? He really seemed to have hated her after all... Just what _could_ she do...?

"Ah..." turning the corner, Kiku almost called out to the girl when he heard someone else and stepped back to hide his presence in case he wasn't welcome. Not to mention, if people saw them talking when they normally didn't...

It'd be far too suspicious..

"There... I can feel her aura here..." came the familiar apathetic voice of Rei.

"Oh! There she is~~!" Rissa started as they turned into the hall.

"Ah..." Jocelyn started at seeing her friends, panicking. If they saw her crying by herself-!

"What are you doing there, Jo~? Class is about to-"

BAM!

"O-ow...!" Jocelyn sniffed, eyes tearing up even more as she began to regret the split-second decision. "Th-it hurts so much...!" she cried, one hand covering the edge of the Fire Extinguisher's case partly to keep her steady, while the other rubbed her aching forehead.

"Ow... J-just now... This corner...! N-ngh..."

"O-oi... Jo," Morissa sweat, already reaching towards the girl as she sweat. "...If I didn't know better, I'd say you ran into that on purpose, дорога (doroga/dear one)..."

The two females walked up to the girl, Rissa using a pet name she sometimes called the two.

"..." Rei nudged the taller girl, shaking her head at the curious look she received from the part-Russian girl. "Don't spoil her cover-up now, Mori..." she chided quietly, though not without a somewhat amused glint appearing in her eyes.

Morissa rolled her eyes. "Right, because it was _such_ a good cover-up," she muttered sarcastically, though she didn't say so to either of the girls' actual faces.

Kiku watched the girls interact for just a little while longer before leaving.

It seemed he wasn't actually needed here after all...


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N:** Whoot! Managed to -somehow- finish the last of this within the month! Yes! Now all that's left if the omake, and typing up the next few chapters and omake's~~ Hopefully some new characters will show up soon (outside of the Earthquake Awareness Extra that occurred oh-so-long-ago), and some familiar faces will show up again~

In any case, enjoy the last of the 'catch up' chapters. I seriously can _not_ believe that I got these done so quickly (at least by my terms). Anyways, don't expect such quick updates starting the next 'official' chapter. And the Omake is, like, around 10k by itself as is, so that might end up taking a while as well.

Anyways, enjoy the chapter, and someone please review and let me know whether I should post the Original Omake here or as a separate oneshot? Or at least comment whether I should just ask these questions as a poll and just notify you all here. Either way the next chapter will be an omake-chapter so that, at least, won't change... Just the contents.

Disclaimer: As usual, Standard Disclaimers Apply. The only things I own here are the OCs that appear. See Chapter 1 for more details...

Oh, and I don't think I need to mention that this one's un-beta'd either, do I...?

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 12** (Word Count: 2,387; Post Date: 8/30/2014)

* * *

"Hoho~ So you just ended up cutting your first day of class~?" Blue eyes sparkled as the blonde smirked a pair of reading glasses on his face, as he scratched something out on the sheet before him, not even bothering to look over at the sulking Brit nearby.

Contrary to popular belief, the two didn't fight _every_ time they met... Just sometimes.

"Hmph, and what do you care?" the green-eyed blonde snapped, " 's not like I _wanted_ to be here, anyways," he grumbled.

"Hm..." Francis made a noncommittal noise, reading over what he'd already written again, the special feather/quill-pen he typically used for writing just barely tickling the edge of his lip, before he scratched out another word and replaced it.

"It's only been a few days, oui? Think of it more like training," he said absently, going over the rest of it.

For a moment, it remained quiet, aside from the mild droning of the air conditioning and the scratch of the Frenchman's 'special pen'. However, he did put the pen down when the other began to speak again.

He wasn't _that_ dense, after all. And as much as the two disliked each other, there was also a mutual respect that was hidden under their exchange of acidic remarks...

Somewhere.

"I-I only ever seem to say rude things to her," the Brit said at last, causing the elder blonde to glance over.

Her? As in... "Jeune Julia?" he blinked, deciding to shorten the girl's name for...er...personal use. "Ohoho~ so you were in your 'usual good mood' today~?" he couldn't help but smirk. "Ah well, perhaps you should simply consider _not_ yelling at her in the first place, non? Especially if you're going to be beating yourself up about it afterward, Angleterre~" he chided, "But that's just a thought, _bien sur~_"

"...I just can't seem to help it," the younger blonde grumbled. "Maybe I'm just not meant for interacting with other people..."

"..." For once, Francis wore a more serious, contemplative look. He could tease the other... or, he could be serious.

He decided it would be best to go for serious, this time.

"People aren't born as social butterflies, silly Angleterre. True, it comes easier to some people -such as _moi_," he couldn't help but add, but continued on before the other could get a seething remark in if the dull 'thud' was anything to go by. "But most people, like _you_, just need to work at it. Some more than others," he continued.

"You are simply inexperienced, chère Bretagne. As an example, you could say that -as a practitioner of the martial arts- you have the strength to break une table with just your fist. But you have the _self-control_ to stop it before it even hits.

"You were not _born_ with that control, Angleterre. You had to _refine _it. But that's just the result of fighting bears in the mountains, non~?"

Arthur twitched, grumbling mentally. And _just_ when he'd thought the man was going to be serious...

"I did _not_ fight bears," he insisted under his breath. Still, he could sort of understand where the other was going... kind of.

The other blonde just sighed. "You are missing my _point,_ vous savez. It is the same as interesting with people, Angleterre.

"Just, instead of training in the mountains, it has to be in a town. Where _people_ live, _comprendre?_ Associating with people, hurting them, and getting hurt in return. It's how you learn about others -and about yourself. If you don't, you'll never be able to care about anyone but yourself, _compris?_

"You may be _une ceinture noire_ in fighting, but you are but _une ceinture blanche_ in dealing with other people. So, at least for the sake of the woman who will -if possible- one day tell you she loves you, try not to keep running away, oui?"

"...Pfff-... You are _such_ a sap. As if anyone would ever tell me that!" he mumbled.

"Fufu~ And if someone does? What would you do~?" the Frenchman chided gently.

"...can't even imagine," the other mumbled in response. "But... I _suppose_ I'd ask her if she were sane..."

"Oho~? Really, now?" the blonde chuckled.

"I'm back..." the soft voice startled both males, though, luckily for both their prides, the brunette couldn't see any of the Briton except for a tuft of hair near a corner of the desk at most. And if he noticed it, he didn't say a word.

Sweating, Arthur began to discreetly make his way out of the room as Francis distracted him.

No one needed to know about their little _secret_, after all.

"A-ah! Welcome back, Jeune Kiku~!" he could hear the prat greeting the returned student. "And where is Jeune Julia~?"

"...'Julia'...?" the murmur could barely be heard as the brunette blinked at the sudden use of the unfamiliar nickname. "She's at work," the other answered, the words accompanied by a light 'thud'. "She informed me that dinner's already been prepared and we just need to heat it up."

"Is that so~? Well, I heard she gets off around eleven, so perhaps I shall walk our _chère demoiselle_ home next time~" There was no question as to why he'd said 'next time' rather than 'tonight', if the brunette had even noticed.

"Hn. A good idea, I suppose... What with all the perverts creeping around at night..."

It was clear who the jibe was aimed at, and was reacted to accordingly.

"Jeune Kiku!" the exclamation was accompanied by the muffled sound of a small crash. "I am simply _hurt!_ Do you really think so little of me, mon cher?"_  
_

The single "Yes" was accompanied by the sound of the sliding door being shut, and a certain blonde scrambling after said male.

"What?! Kiku! Kiku~?! You don't _really_ think so badly of moi, oui? Oui?!"

Arthur would've chuckled were he not still trying to escape without being noticed.

* * *

Jocelyn sighed, walking up the path to the house. It'd been a rather long day for her, but as late as it was, she could only wonder if the others had gone to bed yet or not.

Continuing up the worn path, she couldn't help but to worry about the other occupants of the house -or rather, one specific member in particular.

What if Arthur had skipped dinner again? He was already quite thin as it was... But maybe he was still mad? He couldn't have run away from the house, could he?!

_'I CAN'T EVEN STAND TO SEE YOUR FACE!' _the words rang throughout her mind as she continued to fret. But what could she do? The girl could only wonder as she clutched her back closer.

_'Remember, Jo, you've got to always be yourself...'_ familiar words resounded, clearing away her worries with a bout of determination.

"Right... I'll definitely do my best, mama..." she promised quietly. She couldn't just let it get to her!

Just as she thought so, however, a rustling sound caught her attention.

'Wh-what was that?!' she wondered, paling a bit when she recalled that she was _alone_ in the _dark _and _at night_._  
_

The perfect situation for a creeper to take advantage of.

But if couldn't be could it? I couldn't be the creepers that she'd been warned about, or... or a...

Pervert?!

"_NO!_" she screamed, swinging her bag at the unseen menace.

A familiar yelp of pain greeted her as she sniffled, "Ah..."

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no! How would she be able to explain that she'd mistaken the blonde for a pervert? And she'd screamed at him too, and-!

Needless to say, the girl was in a panic, though perhaps not quite as worried as Arthur was at that very moment...

_'NO!'...?_ Oh god, she really hated him now, didn't she? Had it been something he'd sa- no, wait, that was stupid. It clearly _was_ something he'd said...or done...

ARGH! Just what could he do?!

"I-I'm so sorry! I just hit you with my bag! Oh... but... I-I guess you already knew that," she babbled sheepishly, "B-but enough about me! W-were you taking a walk? O-or...something...?" she finished lamely, voice becoming meek as she trailed off.

"S-so! Uhm... H-how...did you like school...?" she asked, speaking at last when the silence had stretched for far too long. Arthur had turned away from her, too, so she couldn't even see his expression properly.

"Stop it..." he mumbled at last, "If... If it makes you that nervous to talk to me, you don't have to..." he said at last, still somewhat dejected.

"Uhm... Arthur...?" she blinked.

"What is it?" he asked, turning to face her.

"Uhm, n-no... That's not... uhm... I... wasn't really _nervous_... I mean, I _was_ but... Uhm... that's only really because I accidentally hit you with my bag, and... well, okay, so I actually _was_ trying to hit you -I mean, not _you_, b-but...uhm... W-well, I thought...!" she started, babbling nearly incoherently now.

Arthur opened his mouth to yell, but ended up sighing at the last minute. "Just... Just spit it out, already," he said, somehow managing not to yell though there was still irritation clear in his tone.

"Oh! Uhm, I'm so sorry! I just... I thought you were a pervert!" she finally managed to get out.

"A... _pervert_...?" he paled.

D-did she really think so little of him? Sure, _Francis _he could understand, but... but _him?!_

"Ah! No! I-I mean... That came out wrong, uhm...!" she stammered, only to be interrupted.

"N-No... it's... it's alright," he managed, still reeling at the shock of being called a 'pervert'. "I just... I came to say I was sorry for yelling at you, before... I didn't really mean it -the whole 'I can't stand to look at you' thing...and... also, if I do something to anger you...

"You're...free to hit me..." he finished, not looking at her despite the clarity of the fact that he was talking _to her_. (After all, there wasn't another soul for quite some distance form where they were.)

"Oh..." Was he... Had he been trying to apologize? So that was why... and back then, too! Had he been trying to apologize for yelling that time, as well? "But... I-I could never be mad at you!" she exclaimed, surprising the other out of his depression. "I love you! I always wanted to be British!" she exclaimed, though it didn't really make complete sense in the Briton's mind.

"Wh-wha-?!"

"I-It's true! I... wanted to be British! I mean, uhm... I... You... that is... C-can we be friends...?" she finished up shyly.

_'And if someone does? What would you do?'_

"Th-That's so s-stu- I-... It's not that great..." he mumbled, "Being a Nation," he said. "C-c'mon, let's just get back, shall we?" he muttered, looking away, face red with embarrassment even in darkness of night.

"...Yes!" she exclaimed, smiling as she took hurried to catch up to the quick-paced blonde.

Somehow, she couldn't help but think that she'd started to understand him. Just a bit more, at least. He was a bit more awkward that most people were, but, deep down...

He really was a nice person! Someone who spoke sincerely from the heart...

A really, really good person!

* * *

"Hohoho~ so, Angleterre, i here you walked our dear Jeune Julia home~" the Frenchman smirked as they sat at the dinner table, "How was your date~?" he jibed.

"Wh-wha- Shut up! It wasn't like that, you git!"

"Heehee~ I'm just glad you're eating with us, today~" Jocelyn smiled, not seeming to mind the fact that she'd gained another nickname as she surprised the Brit. She really hadn't expected them to wait up for her. "Do you like it?" she asked, curious whether he liked the Japanese fair she'd cooked (lightly seasoned grilled fish, miso soup, a few side dishes, and, of course, rice!)

'Huh? Oh, uh, it's..." Arthur stuttered but quickly stopped when he noticed Francis' smug stare. "Wh-what!" he snapped.

"Fufu~ Nothing at all, dear Angleterre~ Nothing at all~" he smirked.

"Would you _quit staring at me_ already?!"

Off to the side, Kiku ignored the ongoing argument as he continued to eat, half reminiscing over the traditional fair of his people.

"Ohoho~ I was only _looking_, Bretagne~ You're so sensitive~"

"ARGH! JUST SHUT UP AND CUT IT OUT ALREADY, YOU BLOODY FROG!" he snapped, stuffing a bit more food into his mouth.

"Uhm, so... do... you not like it, Arthur?" the forgotten girl asked innocently.

"NO! IT SUCKS!" he yelled.

"Ah...N-no! Wait," he blinked, realizing what had just occurred. "I-I didn't mean that! I mean, I just timed it wrong!" he exclaimed as Francis laughed his ass off in the background. "I really do like it!" he assured the girl, before turning to snarl at the cause of his misfortune (and the constant misunderstandings).

"Damnit Francis!"_  
_

Kiku sighed as he finished his soup. It was... "So loud..." he murmured. The house had gotten much louder since Arthur had returned -not that he really minded it... too much.

It was just a little irritating at times, was all.

Off to the side, Julia laughed, watching Francis and Arthur 'interact' as they normally did, growing used to their antics.

Things were looking up already. She had a place to stay, and so many new friends now that she was living at the Bonnefoy House...

She just couldn't _wait_ to see what the next day would bring!

Smiling at the boys' silly antics from beside Kiku, she had a feeling that things were only going to get even more exciting from here on out.

Beside her, Kiku simply sighed, taking a sip of his tea.

Yup, things were definitely looking up...


	14. Omake Chapter 2

**A/N:** Hey all! As promised, this next chapter is an omake chapter~ Even though the original 'extra' has been posted as a separate oneshot, which I hope you'll all check out!

By the way, as a special treat... there is an extra omake in this chapter! There may be commentary in between them, but hopefully they're still enjoyable all the same.

In any case, this first one takes place during chapter 11, when Francis and Arthur come home. In the original Fruits Basket manga, Yuki tells Kyo that if he really didn't want to go to school, he should've bombed the proficiency test.

This is my take with the Woruba cast~ *_nikoniko/_grins*

Also, just for the record, the omake's aren't necessarily part of the actual Woruba timeline. Such as Part A, it's more of a 'what if', and changes a few things in the stories to suit it, of course. But then, you all probably already knew that considering the chapter's already passed and it was different, ne~?

In any case, enjoy~!

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers, all~

* * *

**[ Woruba: Omake Corner! ] **Omake Chapter 2 Part A: _Stupidity can be a Charm Point too!_ (Word Count: 1,311; Post Date: 8/31/2014)

* * *

Arthur and Francis had finally returned from, well, whatever they'd been out doing. As usual, however, they simply weren't getting along...

As Jocelyn and Kiku chatted, the door slammed open, revealing a very irritable Briton who was being closely followed by an oddly serious France. The previously muffled argument became clear as they entered the room.

"Just listen to me for une moment, Angleterre!" Francis called from the doorway as Arthur stalked into the room, having long since slipped out of his shoes. A gentleman even despite his rage.

"_Shut up, you bloody wanker!_" the Briton snarled, as the french blonde remained in the door way, hopping on one foot rather unsteadily in an attempt to take his shoes off, following the Brit's example. "I don't care about your excuses! I'm not talking to you!" he snarled, settling into his seat with a nod to acknowledge the two even as he began stabbing his food.

No way was he going to skip dinner after the blonde had dragged him out so early. Especially since he'd missed lunch already as it was.

"But Anglete-!" The elder blonde yelped, tripping in his haste to remove his shoes.

"Serves him right, the bloody wanker," he muttered stabbing viciously at his vegetables.

Jocelyn and Kiku shared a look.

"Er, A-arthur...?" Jo started, almost meekly at the foul mood the blonde was in.

"What!" he snarled, before remembering that he wasn't talking to France and somehow managed to cool down a bit, blushing. "S-sorry..." he muttered.

Jocelyn smiled, "No, it's fine... But..." she hesitated, "What... What happened? Why are you in such a bad mood...?" she asked delicately.

Arthur paused, scowling into his food for a moment before mumbling something in response. "I... That bloody bastard tricked me into taking a proficiency exam," he scowled, repeating himself more clearly when he saw that neither of his audience had heard him the first time around.

"A..."

"Proficiency Exam?" Kiku blinked, frowning a bit. But that...

It couldn't be...?

"Oui~ Une Proficiency Exam~" the blonde grinned, appearing in the doorway, looking a little rumpled from his earlier accident in the hallway, as he walked in, draping the suit he'd been wearing over his designated seat, not bothering to remove the already lose tie at his neck.

"As of tomorrow, Angleterre shall be attending the same high school as you!" he announced, amazingly proud of the fact for some reason. Even as Arthur turned away with a 'hmph', deciding to employ the silent treatment (which he really wasn't very good at to be honest).

"I'm fine learning by myself!" he muttered, spearing a few more vegetables.

"Ah, really...?" Jocelyn blinked, curious as to why this was such a bad thing, considering she hadn't heard his earlier remark. "Do you not like going to school, Arthur...?" she asked.

Kiku watched with a raised brow, wondering just why the French man was so smug about it.

"No!" The green-eyed Brit snapped, before clearing his throat when he realized he was snapping at the wrong person. "I mean, no... I... really don't like learning institutions," he explained. "I'm better at learning by myself."

"Oh..."

Francis smirked, "Oh, is that why you decided to go on a 'training quest' when you had to take the proficiency test for that all-boys private school~?" he teased.

Arthur twitched, scowling at his meal. Don't let him get to you, don't let him get to you, _don't_ let him get to you-!

"Eh?" Jocelyn blinked, curious as Kiku sighed, having a feeling that he knew exactly where this was going to go.

"Oh, that's right. Jeune Jocelyn, you don't know do you~?" he asked dramatically, waving his arm -along with the broccoli speared on his fork as he spoke. "The last time Angleterre took a proficiency test, he didn't attend the private all-boys school even though he passed~" he explained dramatically. "Instead, he went missing for little over a year~

"No one knew where he's been up til now," he continued mysteriously. "Some say he went into the mountains, standing under waterfalls and fighting bears. Some say, he was trapped in a cave-in, forced to feed upon what he could find in such a dank place. And some sa-"

"STOP MAKING THINGS UP, YOU STUPID FROG!" Arthur snapped, scowling at the blonde who'd managed to capture the rather gullible female with his tall tale.

"Eh? You mean, that wasn't true?" Jocelyn asked, eyes wide. He lied?

"Non, non~ I said it was speculation~ And besides, I was going to finish with the truth! Those were only rumors, vous savez~!" The blonde pouted. In no way had he lied! ...though, okay, maaaybe he'd twisted the truth just a little bit...

"Che, like hell. You would've just spun the story into some incredible and impossible tall tale!" the blonde accused.

"You really think so little of me, mon cher~? Wait, no, don't answer that," he decided, recalling who he was talking to.

Arthur tsked as both blondes quieted down to eat in silence.

Still, Jocelyn couldn't help but wonder...

"Hey, Arthur...?" she started.

"...Yeah?" The blonde ask, resisting the urge to stab the blue-eyed... _freak_... with his fork, as the french blonde snickered.

"How come you don't want to come to school with us...?" she asked, wanting to know if there was any reason he really didn't like schools.

Arthur mumbled something under his breath before seeing her quizzical look and cleared his throat. "I... It's not that I don't want to..." Well, he _didn't_ want to, to be honest, "It's just that... That... _stupid frog_ went to the same school, and there's no way I'm going to a school that idiot went to!" he finished off with in a rant. "I'll definitely get infected by his stupidity! I'm sure there're still idiot cells left over from when he was there!"

"Oi!" Francis yelped, he was not an idiot! He graduated... well, okay, so he wasn't valedictorian. Antonio was, but still! He wasn't exactly the bottom of the barrel either! In fact, even if he wasn't the best, it was still average! And that had been with him slack- oops, I mean... being...laidback...yeah! That was with him being laidback and, ah, 'enjoying his youth' so to speak!

"Eh...? Francis went to our school?" she asked, blinking.

"Oui~" Francis coughed, breaking out of his mental tangent. "My friends and I were rather famous, back in our time~" he smirked.

"..." Kiku stared at the blondes, not quite sure whether to speak up or not. Since this... Really, this was ridiculous.

"...?" Jocelyn, however, seemed to notice his look. "Is something wrong, Kiku?" she asked, turning the two blonde's attention to the thinking brunette.

"Oh, no.. It's just..." he started, before sighing. Well, might as well say it now.

"Arthur-san..." he began slowly, causing the blonde to look at him quizzically.

"Yes...?" He blinked, wondering just what the diminutive brunette was thinking.

"If you really did not wish to go to the same school... and I do not really recommend this..." he added, seeing as he would never do such a thing himself, but if Arthur was really so intent on such an idea...

"Why did you not simply fail the exam...?" he asked, blinking at the look of shock on the two blondes' faces as he and Jocelyn stared.

"..." Why hadn't he thought of that?! Arthur wondered, as the two stared at Kiku with jaws dropped.

"-!" Francis burst out into laughter as Arthur began to curse.

Seriously, why hadn't he thought of that from the beginning? No one could've forced him to go if he'd bombed the test! ARGH! He was such an idiot!

Off to the side, Jocelyn giggled at the blondes' antics, as Arthur began yelling at Francis for laughing so much. Beside her, Kiku sighed.

Sometimes, it just felt like he was surrounded by idiots...

* * *

**A/N:** Annnd done! There's the first Omake~ It's rather long for one, ne? Oh, but the next one's shorter, though still pretty long considering the first was only a couple hundred words.

Still, hopefully it'll be enjoyable. I can't really say whether they're funny or not, since I'm not really confident in my humor, but hopefully everyone will like it anyway! It was a rather random idea I had, after all~

In any case, here's the next one!

_O-tanoshimi kudasai!_ (Ah, I love Japanese, they have romaji~~! So much easier than typing the kanji and ofurigana and kana every time~ fufufu...)

* * *

**[ Woruba: Omake Corner! ] **Omake Chapter 2 Part B: _Kiku gets angry_ (Word Count: 1,025; Post Date: 8/31/2014)

* * *

It was a normal day in the Bonnefoy House...

Or, well, it would be if Kiku didn't have such a killer headache! And the idiot blonde duo's arguing (yes, he just called them the idiot blonde duo, he's that annoyed) really weren't helping at all.

Already, he'd ask them to quiet down several times. And sure, they'd managed to quiet down for a little while, but it always ended with another argument somehow.

Now, Kiku was almost at the end of his patience, as another shouting match erupted. This one loud enough to be clearly heard even from his room. Quite a feat considering that Francis had managed to get his room soundproofed after the last time he'd been in a bad enough mood to 'reprimand' them.

Grip tightening on the pencil in his hand, Kiku stared blankly at the papers he'd been working on despite the headache that'd incessantly returned even after taking some aspirin.

As the shouts got louder, however, he almost didn't notice when a snapping sound occurred, staring down at the broken pencil in his hand. Carefully standing up and keeping the pieces within his hand, he went over to a trash can to clean up the mess he'd made, thankful that it hadn't been a pen with ink, at the very least.

Still, this was really getting out of hand.

And without Jocelyn to attempt to make peace between the two blondes, it seemed he was going to have to take care of it himself...

Downstairs, the two blondes continued to fight, oblivious to the steadily growing dark mood of the only other occupant currently in the house.

"YOU STUPID FROG! I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!"

"You _imbécile! Sot! Bouffon! Fou idiot!_" Francis taunted, for once just as angry as the Englishman.

"WHY YOU-! THAT'S IT! I'M GOING TO-"

SNAP!

The two fell silent as the door was rolled open in a near violent gesture, finally aware of the dark aura that had become thick enough to permeate the air and roil visibly around the short brunette.

"Ah, Kiku, _Qu-_" Francis barely had time to ask what was wrong, as he found himself flying out of the house, Arthur following quickly behind him even though he'd tried to escape upon seeing what could only be miasma around the brunette.

"_I have asked you to be quiet quite a few times now, Francis-san. Arthur-san_," he began, staring down at them from the doorway, tone dangerous as he glared, wide-eyed at the two fearful blondes. "_I have asked you to be considerate of others who are in need of such quiet. If I find that you've caused any more trouble today, I will not be forgiving this time_," he continued, his gaze heavy and cold upon the shivering two, still staring up at him from where they'd landed outside the house.

"Now, I am going back to my room to complete some S.G.O. work I have left. Please do not cause any more of a ruckus," he said at last, the atmosphere lightening as the male smiled, eyes curved like half-moons and somewhat shaded by his hair. The smile somehow scarier than the oppressive aura he'd been emitting barely a second ago.

The two blondes squeaked, scrambling to sit up and nod vigorously, agreeing to remain silent and not cause trouble as the brunette gave them one last smile and turned away, shutting the door behind him as he left.

"_Good_," was all the boy said as he left, returning to his room in a much better mood, as sweet silence descended upon the house.

The two blondes exchanged glances, still sweating bullets as they agreed to put their enmity aside for the moment in face of the demonic anger of the shorter brunette.

Were Francis not so fearful for his life at the moment, he would've been whining about how they had literally just been kicked out of his own home.

Still fearful for their lives however, both blondes shakily got up and went back inside, pale faced as they each found took a seat and tried not to set the Japanese teen off.

And it was to such a scene that Jocelyn would later return to from work...

"I'm back~!" she called out to what seemed like an empty house, curious as to why it was so quiet as she slipped her shoes off. Entering the dining room, she was perplexed to find Arthur and Francis still sitting in the seats they'd been in at breakfast when she'd left for work.

Curious as to what had happened, she barely had the chance to ask as Kiku came down, passing by on his way to do something or other.

"Ah, Bennett-san, welcome back," the boy smiled, nodding as he passed by. "I need to go out for a bit, but I should be back by dinner," he explained at her curious look, holding up the papers he'd been working on earlier. "I need to turn these in to the school. I should be back soon. But if I'm not, please go ahead and start dinner without me."

"Oh, I see. Alright then, see you later, Kiku!" she smiled, waving as the boy left, unaware of the fact that Arthur and Francis had broken out into a sweat again, sitting straight and still in their seats as they prayed for the boy not to notice them.

Looking back to the blondes, she wondered what was wrong with them today. Still, slipping into the kitchen to start dinner, she decided it was probably better not to ask.

Were Kiku there, he probably would've answered that he didn't know either, causing the two blondes to facefault. After all, it'd been the brunette's fault, even if, for some reason, he could no longer recall what had happened.

An Angry Kiku was a scary Kiku indeed, the two thought, still frozen even after the brunette had left.

So scary.


	15. Chapter 13

**A/N:** Whoo! I am on a roll! Even with all the chores I had to take care of today, I managed to get two omake, one oneshot (related to Woruba, of course!), and this chapter up today!

You may now praise me! *jokes around*

Anyways, I hope the last two omake were amusing! If not, tell me that too. No response will mean you don't care either way. And depending on how things go, I may take the omake out entirely. And we don't want that, now do we~?

Anyways, here's the next chapter. And also, hoping that I'll get the next one cranked out just as quickly since I probably won't be able to post anything tomorrow. Even if it's Labor Day I still have work after all, aha...haha...

On that note, Happy (couple hours early) Labor Day, minna~!

Disclaimer: Standard Disclaimers Apply. Please go back to the first chapter if it's still not clear enough..._  
_

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 13** (Word Count: 2,481; Post Date: 8/31/2014)

* * *

Thursday seemed to pass in the blink of an eye -though that might have been mainly because everyone was still interested in the new British transfer student. And, seeing how they didn't get to properly meet him on Wednesday, the students were even more curious than he had been about Arthur -though it had mostly been due to the gossip and rumors that seemed to grow more and more ridiculous concerning the incident that had occurred the day before.

Luckily for the blonde, by Friday, the students had gotten somewhat used to the boy, and the boy to them, as most of the students' curiosities were satisfied. Still, there were a few that still showed some interest in the blonde.

Fortunately, not as many paid so much attention considering how close the weekend was. That, and seeing that it was the end of the first quarter, report cards would be sent out through the students, so homeroom had been extended. Luckily -or unluckily- for the students, report cards were handed out in the morning, so that, should there be any problems with the grades, said students could talk to the teachers before, during, or after their classes unlike most schools.

Then again, it wasn't exactly a completely normal school if one (now two) of the Cursed Children attended it, now was it...?

* * *

"Uhm, hey, Arthur~~? We have a lot of time since Homeroom's been extended-" the way the school did so, was to make all the classes even lengths along with homeroom which was usually shorter, so it was quite a bit of time for homeroom, while all the other classes were shortened. "-so, I was wondering..." she started, trying not to fidget as the blonde looked up at her from his seat.

For whatever reason, he'd been shunted into their homeroom, so they were almost all in the same class now. In fact, looking at his schedule, he had two morning classes (English and History), P.E., and 'lunch' (seeing as he'd also enrolled in the 'special course', though it was mainly due to the fact he'd chosen Culinary Education for one of his electives and this killed two birds with one stone) together with Jocelyn.

It was a bit strange when one really thought about it, but it wasn't really illogical or impossible. The blonde _did_ share a period or two with Kiku, though, and a math class with Rissa (who, by the way, was only _now_ moving to Geometry due to the fact she'd flunked Algebra II the first time in Freshman year. What? It wasn't her fault she'd forgotten everything over the summer!). Apparently poor Arthur was nearly as bad at math as she was, though it was more due to the fact he hadn't _had_ to do more than simple math while he'd been out 'training'.

As Jocelyn resisted the urge to fidget, though, the above mentioned females (and Rei) had gathered near his table as she finally managed to spit the question out.

"_Will-you-play-cards-with-us?!_" she exclaimed, almost as if she were confessing something of great important and/or embarrassment.

"...Uh, what?" Arthur blinked, giving her a rather confused and blank look. He hadn't exactly been able to catch the question, after all, seeing how quickly she'd spoken.

"Oh! Sorry! Uhm..." she started again, a bit pink in the cheeks. "I was just wondering if you wanted to join in a game of... cards?" she told him sheepishly.

"Oh... Er, well... What...game?" he asked, a bit curious though he tried not to show it.

"Er... Go... Fish?"

He stared. "Seriously?" he asked, a single thick brow raised at the suggestion. "Isn't that a _child's_ game?"

Jocelyn mentally squirmed at the unintended reminder of their first meeting.

"Oh, er, well..." she flailed for words, not quite sure what to say.

Behind her, Rissa snorted, "What, so Go Fish is too _childish_ for you?" she goaded.

"What? No! I didn't say that!" he exclaimed, glaring daggers at the pale, maroon-haired female with angry green eyes.

"z'at so? Cuz that's _exactly_ what it sounded like to me, you _брак_ (brak/bastard)," she told the boy, sneering.

"Ah... Rissa..." Jocelyn started, trying to calm her irritated friend(s) down. Rei simply stood near the edge of the group, studying all of them.

"What did you call me?!" Arthur asked, partially offended and part confused. He wasn't sure what a 'brak' was, but he was sure it was an insult!

"I called you a _брак, _idiot! It _means_ 'bas-tard'," she added, explaining it to the blonde as if it were the most obvious thing in the world and that only a four year old would need an explanation on it.

Which, of course, only pissed the Brit off.

"I am _not_ a bastard, you-"

"GUYS!" Jocelyn exclaimed, finally managing to catch their attention. "Please, stop fighting!" she pleaded, "I don't want either of you to get in trouble... please?" she asked, unknowingly employing the 'bambi eyes' as her friends had once remarked -much more effective than 'puppy' or 'kitten eyes'... supposedly.

Rei smirked, knowing that despite it being completely unintentional -as always, with Julia- the other two were pretty much _screwed_ thanks to that one, single look.

"I-" "But Jo-" they both started, though their will to fight quickly became weak and feeble as they continued to watch, unable to tear their eyes away from... The Look.

"_Please...?_" she pleaded again, the worry on her face and the way she said it causing them to crumble faster than an ant-hill being trampled on by a child -or a cookie. Definitely faster than a cookie.

"I _really_ don't want you guys to get in trouble because of me..." she said sadly, eyes falling to the table top, almost as if she was about to tear up, though really it more that she didn't want them to see the somewhat pained eyes she hid.

Rei frowned but didn't interfere as the last straw was added to the camel's back, effectively breaking it.

"I-It's okay! Really, look, see? W-we're not fighting!" Arthur finally managed, as the two previously incenses teens hastily forced themselves to get 'buddy-buddy' with each other.

"Yeah, Jo. C'mon, not that it would've been your fault but we won't fight, okay? We can settle this like mature adults -right?" she said, jabbing Arthur in the side as he opened his mouth to retort.

"Wh-Oh. Y-yeah! We're both mature adolescents," he agreed, wincing as he rubbed his ribcage. Damn that girl and her pointy elbow and strange strength...

Almost as bad as...as... _that_ guy... he thought, shuddering slightly.

"R-really?" Jocelyn asked, looking up at them almost unsurely. She knew that both could be rather hot-tempted, which was a bad thing, but...

"_Really!_" They chorused, forcing smiled on as they half-hugged each other (arms around shoulders).

"Okay... but how-?" she started, before Rei stepped in. After all, though she'd ended the problem, she _had_ been part of the cause to begin with. That, and her oblivious density would probably end up starting something again if allowed to continue.

"They'll play cards with us," Rei interjected almost immediately as the two tallest of the group (Rissa being tallest, followed by Arthur who was only a little taller than Jocelyn and Rei) stiffened, having not planned things out so far -of course.

"Y-yeah! Yeah, we'll play cards -let change deal us our fates," Rissa agreed as Arthur nodded, not wanting what he'd later learn was the 'bambi eyes' employed again.

"Oh..." she agreed, seeing the sense in it, though she was still a bit doubtful, which showed clearly on her face even if she didn't realize it. "Okay."

The tension immediately dispersed as she relaxed, and the two were able to breathe a sigh of relief.

"So... what exactly are we going to play?" Arthur asked after a quick throat-clearing, releasing his bruised-feeling ribs, having rubbed them til he could stop wincing and/or looking slightly constipated.

Jocelyn frowned, thinking. It was true that Go Fish was a rather childish game (it _was_ a children's card game, afte rall), but Jocelyn honestly didn't know too many card games, and she was pretty sure gambling-types weren't allowed in school (like Blackjack).

Luckily, Rei came to the rescue once more. "How about we play that game your mother taught us?" she suggested.

Morissa's eyes lit up. "Are you talking about..?" she started, looking rather excited.

"..._that_ game...?" Jocelyn frowned, thinking. "We could... but I don't think Arthur knows the rules..." she pointed out.

Arthur blinked, trying to follow the flow of the conversation to no avail. All he could get from it was that they were talking about a card game Jocelyn's mom had taught her. Tilting his head slightly, he wondered what they could be talking about that he wouldn't know? True, he only really knew a few basic games and the more common British ones, like Cribbage, Pontoon (the British version of BlackJack), and Card Cricket -though he was probably one of the _very_ few that even knew about the last one.

"...What game are you talking about?" he asked at last, curiosity eating at him.

"It's a game we call 'connect dragon'," Rei explained for the Brit. "Or, at least, that's what the name's supposed to translate to. I'm not quite sure about the actual name -do you remember?" she looked towards the others.

Rissa shook her head, "Nope, not really -probably wouldn't be able to pronounce it right even if I did," she shrugged, only remembering that it had a sound she couldn't properly enunciate. Every time she tried she ended up saying 'ch' instead of the right consonant.

Jocelyn shook her head as well, though a bit more sadly. "Sorry, I really can't remember. It was the only one she really played beside the Gambling ones, so..." she shrugged.

It was one of the few games she would have played with Jocelyn as a child, as it wasn't really an option for to teach the girl her repertoire of gambling games at such a young age...

In fact, she'd been taught BlackJack by the name of '21' to get around that loophole. And it wasn't like they could really play Poker in school, anyways.

Arthur blinked, then shrugged. "Well, I'm sure I could learn the rules. I don't know too many card games as it is," he said, causing Rissa to snicker.

Arthur glared at the tall girl, as Jocelyn began to chew her lip for a moment in thought, hesitation disappearing as she nodded.

"Okay then," she decided, "We'll teach you the rules before we play.

"First, the cards are all dealt out equally between the players, and..."

* * *

As Arthur received the run-down on the rules of the game, Kiku had been asked out by yet another girl.

"...I truly am sorry, Celeste-san," he apologized, "but I'm afraid I really don't like you in that way. And I don't wish to go out with anyone at the moment," he told her. Partly to protect the secret, but also because he wanted to protect the blonde junior, as there were two certain... 'cousins' of his, that were rather argumentative.

The strange thing, however, was that they were usually so busy fighting each other (about him, amongst other things), that it was odd when they saw a 'threat' which would usually cause the two to 'join forces' against anyone (outside of the family, at least) that they believed was trying to 'steal' him from them.

And for the two bickering Nations to join forces at all, was to call upon whatever mythological Gods or Goddesses of Chaos that existed.

Mainly because when the two got along, they _got along_ in the scariest sense of the word. Not that he would ever wish their...pranks...upon others, as they might phrase it.

The last stalker they'd found (the last time they'd visited him) that had caused them to 'join forces' was still in psychiatric ward as far as he knew. It was a pity, really, because stalking tendencies aside, the girl really hadn't been all that bad a person.

Though she'd probably not gotten the worst, as the _last_ guy (non-nation, of course) to 'stalk' or get close to, hit on, or be 'too friendly' to him before them was still in a coma. He honestly wasn't sure whether he wanted the poor boy to wake up or not.

On one hand, if he came out of the coma, there would be nightmares for sure. On the other, should he remain comatose... well, he was as good as dead, wasn't he?

And all this thanks to two rather obsessive and over-protective fellow Nations...er...cousins.

Thanks to his musing, however, Kiku didn't realize that the girl was still talking to him and was now trying to hug him until it was almost too late.

Luckily, thanks to his ninja-like reflexes however (absolutely no pun intended), he managed to stop her, somehow managing to remember to hold back so he didn't hurt the girl in doing so.

"Ah... I-I'm very sorry, Celeste-san, that..." he started, somehow looking far more surprised than the teary-eyed blonde.

"Y'know..." the girl started slow as she was released, taking a step back. "Kiku, you're a really nice person, but...

"Some part of you... It just seems to reject other people," she sniffed, wiping away tears that had formed and threatened to fall.

She definitely didn't want him to see her like this.

"Eh? Celeste-san-" he started, but was cut off, however, when the girl forged on.

"Everyone's noticed it, Kiku! They all say that 'Kiku's special'," she told him, tearing up again as she began to choke on her words.

"Celeste-sa-" he tried again, looking quite worried about the girl now.

"It's okay," she said, forcing a smile, "I understand. It wouldn't be right for you to have a mediocre girl like me as your girlfriend!" she spat.

It seemed saying those words were too much for her, however, as she ran off.

Shocked, Kiku could only watch as she disappeared. "But... that's not..." he started, a pained look on his face.

"That's not why I had to reject you, Celeste-san. You are in no way mediocre..." he whispered somberly.


	16. Chapter 14

**A/N:** Whoo! I am definitely on a roll today~~!

Anyways, the ending of the last chapter was a bit of a downer, but hopefully this chapter will be able to lift your moods after that!

And aren't I nice, getting this done so quickly after the last chapter so you all have something more cheerful to read~ Right? Right?

Disclaimer: Nope, still don't either of them. And if you want something more specific, go back to the first chapter, eh~?_  
_

And once again, this chapter has not been beta'd. You've all been warned...

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 14** (Word Count: 2,004; Post Date: 8/31/2014)

* * *

"Ha!" Arthur grinned as Rissa place a ten of hearts on the desk, himself putting a four of hearts down rather than the jack of hearts since it was the highest card in the suit he had -and the only reason Rissa would have put the card down would be because she was had one -or both- of the higher cards.

The maroonette glared. ""Вы ебарь! (Vy yebarʹ/You fucker!) You have the Jack of Hearts, don't you!" she exclaimed.

"What was that~?" Arthur smirked, though he did twitch slightly at what he was sure was a curse -especially considering context and expression.

She growled, "_You bastard_...!"

"Aha...ha..." Jocelyn sweat, feeling now would _not_ be the best time to interfere.

So far, they had the Clover suit all chained and complete (Ace to King), and currently, of the Hearts, only four through ten were on the board, while the Spades consisted of ace through nine.

One of them had the Seven of Diamonds, she was sure, but she didn't know who. She doubted it was Rissa from her cussing -though since it was mostly in a language she didn't understand, she really couldn't say anything. So it could only be Arthur or Rei.

Arthur was smug enough, and she guessed that he also had the ten and/or above from the Spade suit as well seeing as he didn't look too worried about the sudden cut off.

Rei, on the other hand... The Platinum-haired girl pretty much always wore a poker face, as it were, so again, she couldn't tell.

With a sigh, she connected the three of hearts to the incomplete chain, and nodded to Rei, who was watching the other two's verbal spat with a mild look of amusement.

"I bet _you_ have the seven of diamonds too, don't ya!" Rissa was now accusing the blonde.

"What? Why would you think that! Let me guess, you have most of the Diamond cards, don't you?" he threw back, smirking. "And it's _you_ not _ya_, you yank!"

Rissa was about to retort when a gasp caught their attention.

"Ah!" Jocelyn stared as Rei put down the Seven of Diamonds.

There was a moment of silence before Rissa started to grin almost manically, while Arthur sulked.

"Damnit!"

"Ha! My turn!" she grinned, placing a six of diamonds on the board, and having more than enough of the higher cards as well that she could now worry less about losing. And from the sound of the Briton's muttering, he was stuck with some of those higher cards too.

Well, well~~ It seems the tables had turned~

By the time homeroom was over, Rissa had won and Arthur had gone from first place to last. ("Ha! You owe me five bucks!" the winner crowed as Arthur grumbled, agreeing to bring the money on monday.) And by the time school was over, they were more or less (it went back and forth) even.

Arthur owed Rissa twelve dollars, while she owed Rei two boxes of pocky. Jocelyn owing all three specially packed lunches for Monday (they were allowed to choose their favorite foods, the winner of the game having gotten to choose entrée while the other two picked side dishes).

Kiku had passed by at some point, and had watched the last half of a game during lunch, but had had to leave before the next game for S.G.O. duties, promising to play the next time as he'd been able to pick up the rules as he'd watched. He'd been a bit strange as he refused, but no one but Jocelyn and Rei seemed to have notices, considering Rissa had been heckling Arthur.

After school, the group found themselves grouping in front of the buses, Kiku and Arthur standing apart from the group to wait for Jocelyn, but having been dragged into the group of girls when Rissa gave Arthur a noogie, dragging him over at the same time.

It had been amusing for the others to watch, though a bit embarrassing for the Englishman seeing as he'd been treated almost as if he were a child.

Kiku remained on the outskirts though Jocelyn had smiled at him. And the other did greet him politely -well, Rissa had at least greeted him more politely than she had Arthur... ("Yo, class prez!")

After Rissa and Rei parted for their buses, Jocelyn 'conveniently' walked in the same directions as the boys, seeing as their buses were on the same side. They simply walked back from there, since none of the buses actually got as far as Francis' house.

* * *

"We back!" three voices called, one quiet, one resentful, and the last -and only female- voice cheerful. The walk back had been rather quiet, mostly with Jocelyn trying to fill in what she'd perceived as a rather awkward silence.

Needless to say, she'd been rather relieved when they actually did get back.

"Oh? You're all back~?" the familiar, lilting French accent being the only indication that France was, in fact, still home, as his body soon followed to appear before them.

"So~? How did the day go for you Jeunes?" he asked, mildly curious as to how the day had gone considering the previous one.

"It was fun!" Jocelyn exclaimed as Kiku nodded in greeting, immediately slipping away (presumably to his room) afterwards, as Arthur tsked, taking a bit longer to change his shoes and look for a pair of slippers to claim (he didn't exactly want to walk barefoot in _Francis'_ house), and thus unable to escape as Jocelyn continued to talk, Francis sending a smirk his way.

"We played a card game, since we had time during Homeroom after the grades were handed out," she explained. "And after Arthur lost-" Here, Francis smirked, Arthur glaring despite trying to ignore the Frenchman. '_Ignore it, ignore it, ignore him...'_ was the mantra that played continually in his mind when he started to get annoyed. "-and we didn't finish the last game, but we did find out that he had the same lunch period as us! So we played again during lunch, and we all had lots of fun!" she beamed.

"Is that so~?" he asked, now outright grinning at the thick-browed blonde as he tried to make his escape before things got too heated.

"Yup! It was mostly Rei winning, though. And then Morissa and myself in second and third place... Oh! But, it was Arthur's first time playing, so I'm sure you'll get better!" she assured the blonde, only just realizing that Arthur had lost the most, turning to him in encouragement.

"Yeah, yeah..." he muttered, clearly blushing as he tried to avoid the person whose fault it technically was in the first place (for dragging him into the game of course), and nearly escaped without blowing up until Francis snickered.

Alas, it seemed the French Personification had dropped the last straw as the Brit exploded.

"Shut UP, YOU ANNOYING GIT!" he exploded, flying right at the other blonde.

"Oh? Non, non, Bretagne~" he chided, jumping out of the way as Jocelyn squeaked. "Please, Monsieur, no fighting before the lady, oui~?" he said, winking at said female and causing her to flush, which only seemed to send the other male into an even greater tizzy. "It is no fault of mine that you are a _terrible_ card player~~"

"WHY YOU-!" So enraged, was he, that he failed to notice that Francis had been purposely goading him into doing so, merely stepping out of the way at the last second, practically dancing as he laughed, nearly skipping out the door as he tripped over thin air.

"Really, falling for such a simply trick~ You'll have to do better than that, Angleterre~~" he teased, giving Julia a pat on the head as he left to God only knew where to do God only knew _what_.

Conflicted, Jocelyn hesitated where she was for a second before rushing over to the remaining blonde.

"Damnit!" he muttered, rubbing his head as he sat up.

"Arthur-!" she cried out, hurrying to try and help, checking to see if he was injured enough to need a visit to the hospital.

"That bloody bastard..." he sulked, getting up as Jocelyn tried to offer her help. "He's _always_ 'teasing' me...treating me like a kid," he grumbled, not looking at Jo at all.

"Arthur..." she watched sadly, giving him the space he seemed to need as he headed for the door.

"Sorry for worrying you," he offered, though there was a self-loathing smile on his face. "I must seem so _pathetic_ for falling for his tricks all the time..." he continued, practically spitting the word 'pathetic' out.

"Eh?" she started, too surprised to say more. Before she could even try, though, he continued.

"No, it's nothing," he said, forcing a smile. "Say, don't you need to leave for work soon?" he asked, proving that he had, in fact, been paying attention to her words earlier.

"Eh?!" was all she could say as she followed his eyes to the clock, gasping at the time. "Oh no! I'm going to be late-!"

* * *

_'That blood bastard...' __'He's always 'teasing' me...treating me like a kid...'_

_'I must seem so pathetic for falling for his tricks all the time...'_

Hearing those words had actually made her so sad. He hadn't even noticed the hurt in his voice... It really was sad. He seemed to respect Francis so much, and yet neither of them seemed to notice. True, Francis _did_ tease him, but he also seemed almost envious of him at times.

And of course, there was Arthur -_England_. He wanted to feel like he was part of something, to feel like a family...

She was sure, that if the Personifications' lives were anything similar to that of the actual history of their nations, then he must have been _really_ hurt when America had started its revolution in a bit for independence.

No wonder Arthur was so upset. And yet...

He was so strong! Hiding all those emotions and even trying to act normal. She knew he had a hard time, but to be able to go on like that...

It must've hurt to keep all those conflicting feelings all locked up inside, she thought as she finished cleaning up.

She was still rather lost in thought as she slipped the white janitor's bandana off her head, taking the last of the trash to the dumpsters out back as she did so.

It was almost time for her to get off work, so she'd have to go in and change out of her work uniform soon.

As she walked back towards the side door she'd come out from, she paused, hearing voices giggling.

"...such a good looking you man!" one of the elder janitor ladies was gossiping with her friends, all of them presumably on break.

"Oh yes, he's so handsome!" the friend agreed, "And he has such nice hair..." she sighed. "I'm so jealous!"

"He looks so young, though," the other pointed out. "Most young people do seem to take much better care of their hair nowadays -I wonder what brand of hair care products he uses...?"

"That's true... Although his clothes are a little bit flamboyant..."

"They _do_ look like something rather out of a fairy tale, don't they?" she chuckled.

"Oh, you gawker~!" the three ladies continued to laugh and banter, apparently having been spying on the person they were talking about from what she could tell. "Come on now, Aggie, Chrissie, we've still got work to do, y'know!" one of the ladies pointed out.

"Oh, alright/very well," the others sighed. Jocelyn took that as the cue to go back inside.

But all the while, she was still thinking.

It... couldn't be... could it?


	17. Chapter 15

**A/N:** Goodness Gracious, I'm on a roll.

Anyways, here's the next chapter. Just one thing before I start. Apologies for the butchering of drunk-person speech later on in the chapter.

I... don't actually know what a shit-faced person sounds like, since no one I know ever seems to get shit-faced drunk...

That, and I've still yet to drink any alcohol aside from the Sake I had on that trip to Japan in middle school...

Derp, yep. Strange life is'a me~

But anyways, onto more important matters. Like...uh... How I'm on a roll? Well, that was mentioned already... But still. There are more interesting things to talk about I'm sure.

But for now, I'll shut up and let y'all read.

Disclaimer: Do I really need to repeat myself? Oh, fine. "Me no own-y series. Me own only OCs."_  
_

If you want a better disclaimer, go back to Chapter 1.

(P.S.: Once again, un-beta'd, so let me know if y'all find any mistakes, yeah?)

And huh, exactly midnight my time...

Freaky. Happy Labor Day, everyone!

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 15** (Word Count: 2,499; Post Date: 9/1/2014)

* * *

"Oh!" It was. It had been who she'd thought the old ladies had been talking about.

She was a little early, but one of the older male janitors had noticed her trying to haul yet another large and heavy trash bag out to the dumpsters by herself (a worker had pointed it out, as she tried to throw something away, but the trash can had been nearly overflowing with trash. Jocelyn had no idea how it had missed, though it wasn't really her job considering it was actually another Janitor's section. But the lady had asked so politely, she couldn't help but agree to take it out for her).

The man had offered (more like ordered her) to let him take it out back himself, as he'd noticed her not only working harder than the rest of the women janitors in the office, but she was young, diligent, and kind as well.

He was sure there was some reason as to why such a young girl was working as _janitor_ of all things, but figured there had to be circumstances. He didn't pry, though, in case she felt uncomfortable, though he'd noticed that she didn't talk too much anyway -not unless she had to anyways... Usually._  
_

And so, send back to the girls' changing room as she was, she changed out of her uniform, throwing it into the right hamper (there was a hamper for each size so they didn't have to take the uniforms home to clean, as they were cleaned every other day or so before they were returned, fresh, to the counters), and taking the few things she'd brought with her out of the assigned locker, before signing out.

It was then, walking out of the front of the building as she said goodbye to the kind man who'd taken the heavy load off her hands, that she noticed Francis, his eyes distant, as he stared off to the side, a rose that he played absentmindedly with in one hand, rolling it between his fingers, while the other supported him against the railing that separated the sidewalk from the road, leaning against it as he was.

"Francis? What are you doing here...?" she asked, surprised not only by his clothing choice, but also by the fact that he was there at all.

Blinking, he turned to the girl and smiled, holding out the (somehow) still fresh rose to her in greeting. "_Bonsoir, _mes demoiselle~" he greeted. "You must be tired, oui?"_  
_

"Did... did you come all the way here just to pick me up...?" she asked, eyes wide as she slowly, absentmindedly nodded to the question, accepting the rose as had become habit over the course of her stay with at the Bonnefoy House.

He was sure that the French portion had been a greeting, and she knew that madamoiselle (or so she thought it was supposed to be spelled) meant a lady of some sort, so mesdemoiselle meant something similar, right? He'd used it enough times, after all... Still, remembering that tidbit made her blush slightly, though she didn't refute it considering she didn't actually know what it meant for sure.

Francis chuckled, "Why yes, Jeune Julia," he smiled. "It is quite...ah, _dangereux_ for a young lady such as yourself to be walking alone so late at night," he chided lightly.

"Oh..." she blinked, figuring that 'dangereux' was simply a heavily accented 'dangerous', though they did mean the exact same thing. "In that case, thank you so much!" she told him, smiling warmly. "Everyone's so kind to me..."

Francis simply smiled before speaking up again.

"Well then, shall we go~?" he asked, offering his arm like a true gentleman.

Jocelyn blushed but nodded shyly, "Th-thank you..." she murmured, careful not to touch bare skin, though there wasn't really much need to worry considering the extravagant long-sleeved clothes he wore, as she looped her arm through it loosely.

"_Vous êtes très bien accueillis_, Jeune Julia," Francis chuckled, accepting the thanks dramatically as his hand fluttered over to his heart, grinning all the while, especially when he elicited a small giggle out of his now more relaxed companion.

Walking in a comfortable silence, Jocelyn didn't speak up until a little later, this time remembering to say what she'd wanted to before now that there was no chaos to distract her. "You know," she started, catching the man's attention.

"Oui?" Francis looked at her curiously.

"If you -or the others- ever need someone to talk to... Someone that's not family, I mean," she added, assuming that they had people in their 'family' they chat with. "Then you can always talk to me, okay?" she told her taller companion, smiling warmly up at the blonde.

"Jeune Julia..." Francis blinked, rather surprised -and touched- by the offer.

"Oh! Well, er, that's... That is, i-if you're willing to, and it's alright with you, anyway," she started, a bit flustered as she considered the possibility that they might refuse. "Y-you don't have to, and if you do, I promise I won't tell anyone! But..." she continued, beginning to ramble as her words tumbled over themselves as she spoke faster with anxiety.

Francis opened his mouth to set her straight, but before he could, someone bumped into them, knocking him into her.

"Ge' -hic- ou' mah way, yuh bash-hic-tarjz..." a clearly drunk man growled, not even apologizing as he staggered.

"_Excuzes-moi?!_" Francis asked, quite offended though he'd managed to catch himself before any skin actually touched.

"Ya try'n ta pick a f-hic-ight wiff me'z...?" the man swayed, trying to look threatening as he leared at the shocked blonde with eyes glazed over from -obviously- being drunk. The look of disgust that showed from wrinkling his sensitive nose against the powerful stench of alcohol didn't seem to help.

"You makin' fun'o -hic- me...?!" the man asked, hiccupping once again as he pushed the taller, younger, and better-looking man's shoulders awkwardly in what was probably supposed to be a shove.

"Non, non, monsieur," he tried tried to placate the drunk and obviously-not-thinking-straight man, holding his hands up in platitude as he discreetly moved to keep himself between Jocelyn and the drunkard -there was no telling what he might do, drunk as he was.

"You'z makin' _fun_ -hic- o'me...!" the balding, thick-skinned man was absolutely convinced.

"Non-" France tried once more -but the man was adamant.

"You 'n tha' weird, f'eakizh as'end a yurz! Talk'n in ano'shuh lan'guhj, an' tryin' t'make fun 'a me wissh'a me knowin'! But I'shh'mart! I knowz'at yer makin' fun'o me-!" he ranted (or rather, as much as a totally inebriated adult _could_0, tryign to aim a punch at the frenchie and missing completely. It had been a slow swing, and Francis hadn't even had to move -luckily he hadn't, really, or it probably _would_ have connected, and the 'secret' revealed.

"I am _not_-" Francis tried again.

"Yuh can' twik meh...!" the man bellowed, his voice hoarse from the previous yelling sessions, his rage slowly building. This time, his punch connected, and, with surprising strength for a clumsy drunkard, Francis was thrown into Jocelyn.

And, POOF! When the smoke cleared, Jocelyn had fallen back onto the street, a Gallic Rooster squawking and crowing in her lap.

The drunk man looked surprised, but couldn't seem to stop himself and tripped before he hit him, Jocelyn's eyes wide with shock as she'd watched. She had tried to stop the two from fighting (or arguing onesidedly as the case may be), but no one seemed to hear or even pay attention to her. Francis wouldn't let her move from where she'd been hidden behind him, trapping her by the tree and trailing on the other sides.

From down the street, another -younger- man looked around. And, seeing the trio (duo from his perspective -well, duo and a chicken), hurried over, an expression of alarm on his features.

Seeing the other, she quickly gathered the clothes and the Rooster into her arms as he went up to them.

"Tha' guy turned in'u a Roosh'er!" the drunk man said, dumbfounded, as Jocelyn stared with wide eyes.

The man made to stand up. "How'd he do tha'? How'd he turn in'oo a roosh'a?" he asked, as the younger, taller man made it over. He looked like any worried teen (or son) as he made it over.

"Dad-!" he exclaimed, pulling the man up as Jocelyn stood rather shakily, rather shocked by the turn of events.

' 'e turn' in'uh a roosh'er, An'ie! A roosh'da!" the man told what was apparently his son.

"People can't turn into roosters, dad. You're drunk!" he insisted, turning to Jocelyn with a worried look. "I'm so sorry about that, Miss. My step-dad didn't hurt you, did he?" he asked.

"N-no! i was... just surprised," she managed, glancing down at Francis. The now-rooster was being surprisingly quiet, though she supposed he was just trying not to draw too much attention.

"Ah'm nuh! An'ie, dere re'll wash a man! He tah'd in 'um weird lagush 'n' ev'thin! An' 'e _ree'luh_ tun'd in'a a roosh'uh!" the man insisted._  
_

The boy sighed. "Right, alright, fine... I'm really sorry," he apologized again, turning to Jocelyn once he'd placated his step-father.

"N-no, it's alright...really!" she said, forcing a smile. "I'm fine... just...surprised..."

"Re'leh!" the man insisted still, obviously still picking up the sarcasm in the simple words. "She shaw!" he said, pointing a shaky finger at Julia, "Righ'? Yuh sh'aw id, righ'?"

Jocelyn looked both uncomfortable and unsure. What _could_ she say, after all?

"Uhm..."

Luckily, the boy didn't seem to take it to heart, simply smiling at her apologetically and rolling his eyes as the man tried to enforce his 'insane belief', or so the son thought. "By the way, why _do_ you have a Rooster with you, anyways?" he asked, curious.

"Eh?" she blinked, looking down at Francis before blinking. "Oh! Er, w-well, uh... He was looking a bit s-sick, so..." she fidget, uncomfortable with the lie.

"Oh... really?" the boy asked, looking surprised. "Huh, can't really tell... But then again, I don't really know much about how Roosters are supposed to look," he said, shrugging. "So...uh, what did he have?" he asked.

"Oh, er, well... he...had..." she started, glancing at Francis for help as he pretended to look sick. "Er, some sort of... stress...related disease...? Or, so the doctor said," she told him as Francis forced himself to look limp, taking the chance to cuddle into her arms, opportunist that he was. Still, he was careful to keep his head near her waist and away from her chest.

He was still a gentleman, after all.

Jocelyn took no notice as she tried to keep the lie believable. "It, uhm, well... it weakened his immune system, so... he sorta has a cold now... Yeah..." she trailed off.

"Oh... okay, I guess he _is_ looking sorta peeky..." he said, seeming to believe that she was simply feeling awkward, since he was sure normal people didn't keep chickens as pets -at least, not in a town/city like this.

"Y-yeah," she agreed, trying to make it seem more believable, wrapping his clothes around him a bit, instead of just having it under him like a sort of nest.

"Hm? What's that?" he asked, tilting his head slightly to get a better look at the odd garment. It was so...ruffley...?

"O-oh, er...well... It's... my costume! Yeah, I'm... uhm... in a play..." she lied.

"Oh... do they let Roosters in theatre's?" he asked curiously, though he was a bit confused as well.

"Uhm, well... it was...that is... I- h-he's not mine, so... yeah," she said lamely. "I'm, er... just doing a...a favor for a f-friend of mine..."

"Oh... I see... Well, that's cool," he nodded.

"Y-yeah..."

"So what's the play you're in about? It seems like it'd be interesting. Maybe I could come see it sometime?" he asked. It was the weekend after all, and she _was_ pretty cute, nervous stutter aside. She was definitely younger than him (he was nineteen), but still cute nonetheless.

The two walked in the same general direction, neither having noticed as the boy half-carried his already passed-out step-parent to a parking lot close by.

"Eh? Ah, you- you can't," she nearly exclaimed, somehow managing to catch herself, wracking her brains for an excuse in panic as he blinked, a little surprised and... hurt. "I mean, well.. today was the last day, s-so..." she said sheepishly, looking apologetic -which really wasn't too hard, seeing how guilty she felt for all the lying she'd done to this person.

"Oh... I see," he said, looking rather put out. "Ah, hey. I gotta go this way -the car's parked here. Where're you going?" he asked, "Maybe I can give you a ride...?" he asked. "It's rather dangerous for any one person to be walking alone in the dark like this," he said, hinting and sort of flirting, while blatantly ignoring Francis -or rather, what he thought was 'just a Rooster'.

"Oh, it's okay. I walk this time of night all the time," she said, relieved to be able to answer honestly for once, while Francis did a mental facefault. "And, uhm, well, I-I'm just going... that way..." she said, pointing the way towards Francis' house. It seemed she still felt rather guilty about lying.

"Oh..." he said, looking disappointed by the fact. "I have to go the other way -I live on the other side of town," he explained.

Jocelyn nodded. It made sense, seeing as she'd never seen him around before.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye then," she said, feeling a little more confident now that the end of the situation was in sight and at hand. "Good night, I hope you get home safely," she said, honest and sincere in her words -those words, at least.

"Yeah, I guess," the man said, about to say more when the unconscious man began to snore. _Loudly_, at that. Startled, he didn't get to say what he wanted, as he hefted the heavy weight back up before it slipped anymore.

And, upon turning back, found that the mysterious play-actress girl had already disappeared...


	18. Chapter 16

**A/N:** Alright, I lied. This one's the last chapter for tonight...er...this morning?

Meh, anyways, here you go. One more chapter fresh off the keyboard...and now to bed. No more stalling!

...I've still got work tomorrow, after all... herp.

Anyways, some past history-ish stuff in this chapter. And...ignore the silly beginning. I'm sleepy and caffeine deprived...or, well, I have been for the past week or so, so...yeah...

Disclaimer: Seriously, must I go on? Check the first chapter if you need one._  
_

And once again, an un-beta'd chapter. Enjoy.

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 16** (Word Count: 2,571; Post Date: 9/1/2014)

* * *

Not too far form the scene of the crime -I mean, drunk! I meant drunk! Anyways, not too far from the scene of the incident, Jocelyn was still moving as fast as she could for fear that the boy would chase her down or that the lies would be found out.

Well, that and she really wasn't sure how long it'd be until Francis would turn back, and it'd be terrible if the 'secret' was found out because of her.

"I'm so sorry, Francis. You nearly got found out because of me..." she apologized, disappointed in herself even as Francis tried not to claw her due to all the jostling that was caused by her running.

"**It-**" he began as she started slowing down, the change of pace startling him. "**It's quite alright, Jeune Julia. It's not your fault,**" he told her, as soothingly as possible.

"Still-" she started, stopping to look down at the Rooster/man in her arms.

"**Jocelyn, it is not your fault that I have my...condition... and it is most definitely not your fault that _I_ decided to come walk you** **home,**" he said firmly, deep blue Rooster eyes staring into her own.

"I...I guess..." she said, still looking unsure.

"**It is _not_ your** **fault.**"

"...Alright," she sighed, still not really believing it, but as Francis was so adamant and she didn't want to argue...

"**It's not,**" he persisted, seemingly able to sense her disbelief. "**Now then, why don't you just put me down, and we can walk back? It would be rather, eh... embarrassing...for us both if I were to change back while in your arms,**" he pointed out, looking as sheepish as a fowl could, since Jocelyn wasn't holding him so tightly anymore -no was she touching him directly, what with his clothes now acting as a barrier between them.

Jocelyn blinked for a moment, confused, before blushing as she remembered. "Oh... I-oh... O-okay," she agreed, putting the other down carefully and gently untangling the clothes from his now more delicate and feathered body before folding the clothes neatly and carrying them in her arms. "There you go," she said, smiling now.

"**Merci, Jeune Julia,**" he said, the smile clear in his voice even if it wasn't in his face as he looked up at her.

"It's no problem, really," she responded as they began to walk.

As they did, Jocelyn peeked over now and then to make sure that they were evenly paced, and also to ensure that Francis was actually still _there_ and not chicken/bird-napped as they walked in silence. Francis catching a few of her glances and realizing what she must have been thinking.

A few moments of silence longer, he finally started talking -mostly for her benefit, but, as he would find out afterwards, he would end up benefiting from it as well.

"**You know...**" he started, startling her as she looked over, pinning the neatly folded clothes to her chest.

"Eh?"

"**When I stayed at the Property,**" he began, ignoring her blink of surprise as he walked on, ignoring her blink of surprise as she seemed to realize the importance of what he was about say, silently catching up to the fowl and keeping even with him. "**the European section,**" he amended before recalling that she'd never seen or been to any of them and wouldn't know what they looked like, so he decided to explain the way it was ordered first.

"**There is a section and a 'branch' for each continent,**" he explained as they continued to walk down the lonely and otherwise silent street, nothing but the occasionally chirping cricket interrupting their 'talk'.

"Eh~ Really?" she asked, "But with all the nations, it must be pretty big... Is it all here in America?" she asked, curious.

Francis would have smiled if he could. "**Yes, it is. And no, it's not. The Main Property is here, but there are smaller branches in each country and continent****,**" he explained. "**Of course, it's the largest here, in ****_Amérique_, what with all the different nationalities. **

"**Of course, the Continental Branches are next in size, then, if the _Personnification_ prefers to stay in their own country, there's a smaller property there as well,**" he continued, using the preferred term for their 'curse'.

"**Essentially, we have land all over the world,**" he told her rather smugly, enjoying the look of awe in her eyes.

"Oh, wow! That's amazing!" she exclaimed, eyes bright with excitement at the thought, before she thought of something, her expression becoming puzzled as she did. "So, then, wouldn't you prefer to stay in your own country?" she asked, rather confused.

"**Oui, one would. But since our _Patriarche _wanted us all to stay close by, he 'ordered' the more, ah… 'important' members to stay here, at the main Property,**" he explained. "**So most of us stay here, where the Main Property, and our _Patriarche_ lives.**"

"But..." she started, eyes wide. "That's terrible! I mean, not that I'm not glad you're here," she amended as he started up at her, startled. "But- you should be able to choose where you want to live!" she exclaimed, a little upset at the injustice of it all.

Francis chuckled, as she flushed, realizing that she'd spoken out of turn. "I'm sorry…" she mumbled, suddenly finding her shoes very, very interesting, as Francis suddenly thought of the fact that her cheeks were almost the shade of a tomato…

Almost as red as that adorable little tomato-lover, he thought. And of course, the one that Antonio lived with~

"**Merci, Jeune Julia, but it's quite alright, really.**" He assured her, "**We are allowed to return to our Country once a year, and we can stay where-ever we wish so long as it's in this state so we can make it to the annual New Year's gathering,**" he told her.**  
**

"New Year's Gathering...?" she asked, looking curious once again despite herself.

Francis smiling, suppressing another chuckle. "**Oh yes. Once a year, all the Nations gather together to reminisce and to send off the old year as well as to welcome the new. It is also a time when the gathered Nations can talk and relax freely, as only the Cursed are allowed, so we need not fear for our Secret. We also get to see one another again, as well as chat and simply enjoy ourselves for the most part.**

"**Of course, every year, one of us has to be play the 'host', though really, we are just in charge of food and drink, among other things, such as, ah, 'footing the bill', as I believe the Americans, say, non?**" he asked, the wink he sent to her obvious despite the fact he was currently stuck in the body of a Rooster.

Jocelyn couldn't help laughing at the joke, getting the stereotype almost immediately. "Of course," she smiled as Francis joined in with a chuckle.

"**In any case, when I used to stay at the European branch of the main Property, it was always so… so _stifling,_**" he said, his tone becoming somber, and alerting the girl to the seriousness, as the smile faded from his words.

"**Always, _always_ we were watched by the other Personnifications –mostly the smaller ones- and, of course, our Patriarche…**" he trailed off, remembering the days past, as Jocelyn quietly allowed him the time to collect himself and his thoughts.

"**After a while, I began to long for a different life, as -though there ****was always something going on... It had become so stifling, and… in a way, I suppose almost _boring_ and repetitive… It was almost as if one were being chained to a cage one couldn't have gotten out of anyway,**" he said, not noticing when he slipped into third person, though his companion did, realizing that it was probably painful for him to think about.

So she gave him whatever time he needed, giving his 'story' the respect it deserved.

"**Eventually, I yearned to be free –for there to be excitement -and, maybe, even some danger if it would take the bad feelings away…**" he said, before answering her unsaid question. "**Of course, at that time, our Patriarche was a different man. And he kept us in a tight rein until he died, and his son took over –our current Patriarche,**" he explained.

"**And with the change of Head, there was a change of rules. The last, paranoid and strict, would barely let us out of sight let alone the Estates. But now, we are allowed nearly free rein, and it was -_is_\- wonderful, though I have a suspicion that it is mainly because most of the others 'annoyed' Him,**" he said, chuckling slightly, a sad quality entering his tone. And still, Jocelyn remained silent, somberly taking in the tale of his past -his memories and feeling of that time. And things he probably _still_ felt to some extent...

"**But still, I could not have the 'normal' life I longed for… Instead, I had to content myself with a semi-normal existence, or rather, as close to it as I could possibly get,**" he amended. "**So I enrolled into a private school –an all boys' school,**" he told her. "**It was… rather refreshing after being home-tutored for so long,**" he continued.

"**I made friends –temporary, but still, friends. Of course, I also found out that a few others had had the same idea as I had, and enrolled as well. I became much closer to them. We were drawn, almost as if our Curse had attracted us to each other,**" he said, chuckling with amusement.

"**We actually became known as the 'Bad Touch' or 'Bad Friends' Trio,**" he said, almost grinning now.

Jocelyn looked curious, but didn't ask, figuring it was either a private joke or he'd end up explaining it if he really wanted her to know.

And it was. They had been 'bad' due to two thirds of the group being pranksters or, rather, just a pair of 'silly delinquents'. Poor Antonio, good friend that he was, always tried to stop them -the voice of reason... not that they listened, of course.

Still, he would tag along and share some of the blame -sometimes even helping- though he wasn't always at fault. Most knew, of course, that they had started out as rather 'bad' friends.

The reason they were also known as the bad 'touch' trio on the other hand…

Well, let's just say that for one, they had been rather touchy feely as it was, though it was understandable that they would want some kind of physical contact, seeing how they couldn't really touch others so easily. That, and... well, one of their pranks may have gone a little too far considering they'd actually had the audacity to grop/grab some of the female teachers, resulting in a lot of yelling and screaming every time it happened -needless to say, all the guys knew when it happened, and though Antonio never joined in, always blushing when it happened, he would still chase after them, he recalled, chuckling. The poor boy always ended up getting implicated as well.

Still, it had been fun -some of the best times of his lives...

Of course, the nickname had another meaning, though most people didn't know it. Something much more private and intimate.

At one point, in defiance against the norm -and because they'd been horny, teenage, adolescent boys going through puberty, of course- they'd...tried things.

Of course, none of them ever actually 'got together', and they didn't do it anymore anyways (ah the follies of boyish youth)...

Besides, Antonio had a boyfriend he seemed to be quite serious about -though the other was what Kiku might term a 'tsundere' (the only reason he knew what it meant was because he'd searched for a term to describe the boy, but the closest thing had come out as that singular Japanese word, of course).

Really, it was rather adorable.

Gil, on the other hand, was still a bit of a failure with woman -mostly Elizabeta (the personification of Hungary), though as she was together with Roderich now, he'd toned it down, making it more friendly and joke-like so as not to offend either his...friends. Still, he was definitely a skirt-chaser, and the few times with another guy as a teenager hadn't really changed any of it.

Besides, it was mostly flirting -and trying to spend time with 'Liza since she never seemed to have time for her old friend anymore...

It they'd really been 'friends' at the time, anyway. Still, it'd been funny when they found out Elizabeta'd convinced Gilbert there was nothing different between girls and guys.

This, of course, being before the 'Change of Heads', before he'd learned the difference in classes. Still, he was rather dense and hadn't realized at all til sometime during their Junior year.

Ah, Gilbert... Last he'd heard, the Prussian (though he didn't quite understand how he could have a Personification when the country'd long since been dissolved -not that he minded. Still, a curious thing nobody had an answer for) had apparently been 'adopted' by a little yellow puffball of a bird the man had named 'Gilbird' of all things.

Francis chuckled as Jocelyn tilt her head in confusion, curiosity itching, though she didn't say anything.

"**Those were the best four years of my life,**" he admitted, not realizing he'd gone inward until he chuckled aloud, startling himself though he tried to amend by going on -almost hastily. No need for her to know, after all, was there?

He was doubtful she'd meet many of nations anyway, though he _did_ hope she'd be staying that long (contrary to the beliefs of certain Nations, he could be mature and unselfish, _Merci Beaucoup!_He thought about the bigger picture! ...Sometimes).

Jocelyn had only been with them for about a week, but already, she'd integrated herself into their lives. Kiku talked more, Arthur...well, he tried to keep his temper in check. Still, he could be an _idiot incroyable_, but still, at least he was making an effort.

He seemed to forget about becoming part of their 'group' most of the time, though it probably didn't help that he enjoyed teasing the younger blonde so. Still, it was training~ _Training~_

* * *

Back at the house, a certain blonde sneezed as he passed the stairs.

"Bless you," Kiku offered, having heard the sneeze as he left the 'book room', a novel in hand he was borrowing from Francis' collection of books.

"Thanks," Arthur nodded in greeting.

Kiku just nodded back, resisting the urge to act 'meekly' as certain other nations had once told him (yes, multiple. Apparently it was a bad habit. Still, he tried)...

"Hey, is that Shakespeare?" Arthur asked, curious.

Kiku simply nodded. "Yes, one of the required readings for my English class," he admitted.

"Ah," Arthur blinked. "Still, his stuff's pretty good, isn't it?" he asked, somehow managing to have a civil conversation despite the slight tension and (for whatever reason) awkward atmosphere.

"Yes..."


	19. Chapter 17

**A/N:** Whoo, managed to finish this portion too. The end of the past/Francis-reminiscing/background part! Still...

It's been a while, so I may need to go back and read Furuba again... Derp. Still, amazing I managed to crank this out.

I was not planning to do any typing today at all... at least, not for this story... aha...ha. Oh well, time to take a break and work on schoolwork since I apparently have no work today, duh-dum-dum~

Maybe I'll work on this story some more when I have more inspiration~ *hinthint*

Disclaimer: And once again, please go see the first chapter for a proper disclaimer.

Oh, and yet another un-beta'd fresh-off-the-keyboard chapter.

Enjoy!

* * *

**[Woruba: the World in a Basket] Chapter 17** (Word Count: 2,371; Post Date: 9/1/2014)

* * *

"So...what happened after that?" Jocelyn asked, finally deciding to say something as he fell silent again, mentally smirking as he gave off a clearly smug air. She figured it'd be fine to ask if he was feeling smug, as it was probably good memory -at least for him.

Besides, she was rather patient, but there _was_ a limit. They had been walking for a while now, and were three-quarters the way back already. She was almost beginning to get fed up with the silence.

Almost.

Francis on the other hand, smirked, unaware of the girl's minor irritation as he spoke on. "**Ah, well... We grew up, moved to different places...**" he said vaguely.

"**Last I remember, Antonio was staying in the Main Property,**" he told her, though he didn't say _why_. After all, the little 'tomato-lover' wasn't his 'secret' as said Italian insisted... Even if everyone already knew about their relationship. _Everyone_.

"**Gilbert...**" he continued, a slight frown entering his tone. "**Well, he seems to stay at the Property much of the time, though he does go out now and then, disappearing for days on end... Still, it is Gilbert. The man must be trying to give his younger sibling some space,**" he decided. It was a bit strange, as Gil and his Brother were actually blood related, unlike most of them, but, well, he couldn't really bring himself to be jealous. Francis was fine with being a single child, after all...

Jocelyn nodded, accepting his words.

"**Of course, as you can probably guess, I moved here afterwards. Although, now that I think about it...**" he blinked, stopping for a moment as he puzzled something out, walking again soon enough afterwards that Jocelyn nearly missed the moment of stillness.

"...?" Curious, she turned to look at him, knowing that he would probably continue this time.

"**I believe it was a few years after that, that Jeune Kiku arrived...**"

"Ehhh... Really~?" Jocelyn asked, full attention turned to the Gallic fowl as he nodded.

"**Oui. But that, I think, would be his tale to tell, not mine, mon ch_é_re~**" Francis told her, shaking his head in apology.

Jocelyn shook her own in response, smiling. "No, I understand. I can wait until Kiku's willing to share," she told him, much to the Frenchman's relief.

"**Oui, that _would_ be** **best...**"

It wasn't too longer after that, however, that Francis found himself back in his human body.

"Ah!" Jocelyn bit back a scream, immediately turning away, eyes shut as the man blinked, just as surprised by the sudden change. "H-Here're your clothes, Francis..." she managed to stutter out, blushing as she held the clothes out away from her, keeping her eyes covered with her other arm.

"Ah, my thanks, Jeune Julia," he accepted the items courteously, dressing himself as quickly as he could and just managing to finish as it began to rain.

"You may look now," he informed her, closing up the last button.

"No problem," she responded, turning back with a light blush still evident on her face. Francis decided not to tease her, this once.

Well, it was that or the surprise of the sudden downpour of rain. "Ah, this is quite sudden..." the blonde murmured, raising a hand up to feel the rain. "The weather report said nothing about this kind of weather today... Perhaps we should return quickly now, oui?"

"Y-yeah!" she agreed.

The one day she'd forgotten her emergency umbrella, too...

Figured.

* * *

Running back up the mountain as quickly as they could, they barely managed to get inside as the lightening struck, signalling that the downpour had become a storm in its own right.

Quickly stripping out of their shoes, they were met in the doorway by Kiku, who offered them a few towels to dry themselves off with.

"Welcome back," the brunette greeted, handing each of the returnees a towel, while he placed a few more to the side for later use.

"We have returned, Jeune Kiku," Francis greeted, thanking the boy as he accepted the towel, drying off his face and his long locks of hair before moving on to the rest of his body, planning to dry off as much as possible before heading to his room to strip out of the wet clothes.

"We're back!" Jocelyn responded, just as grateful as she began to dry her own onyx hair, wringing it out before patting the rest of her clothes as dry as she could.

"Oh? Are you going somewhere, Kiku?" Francis asked, noticing the brunette's raincoat, and the rubber boots he'd donned at some point.

"There was a warning of a typhoon along with the flash-storm and flash-flood warnings," the boy explained, "I'll be back soon," he promised as he slipped past the duo to head out.

"Ah! Kiku, wait!" Jocelyn exclaimed, not bothering to grab anything as she quickly slipped her shoes back on and chased after the boy. She didn't want the boy to be out there all alone in such conditions!

Francis didn't even get a second to protest, instead sighing as he watched the two disappear into the storm. He had a feeling he knew where they were going, and Kiku could probably do with the help anyway.

Instead, he headed in to change and take a quick shower before brewing some caffeine for himself and some of the others. It was rather windy out, after all. And there was no doubt it would only get worse.

Settling himself down, he prepared for a long wait, not even wondering why it was so quiet or where the other blonde of the household was.

In his room, Arthur was huddled, buried in blankets as his feline side protested the weather. Having given in to his animal instincts, the blonde had created a little cocoon of sheets on the floor, even pulling his pillows down to try to get some rest as far away from the windows and the raucous storm brewing outside...

* * *

"Kiku-!" Jocelyn called, running after the boy.

"Wh- Bennett-san?!" Kiku exclaimed, doing a double-take when he realized that the girl had followed him out into the storm, ill-prepared as she was.

"It's dangerous outside, you should go back!" he told her, a folded sheet of what looked like tarp or canvas in his arms.

"I-I'm okay! I've survived having to camp out in worse situations, remember?" she exclaimed, somehow managed to catch up to the boy though she still ended up tripping due to low visibility.

Seeing the inevitable fall, Kiku managed to catch her by the wrist, keeping hold of her and pulling her along since she had made it so far, though careful to keep the cloth of her sleeve between them.

"...I'm surprised you managed to survive so long," he murmured, sighing as he decided it'd be safer to keep her with him since it'd be safer anyways.

"A-anyways, Kiku, what's wrong?" the girl asked, having chased him down to ask that exact question. Going out in such dangerous conditions, and with no one to help in case something happened...

"You'll see, we're almost there, anyway," the brunette answered mysteriously as they exited the trees to enter a clearing with...

"A...farm...?" Jocelyn wondered, seeing the neat rows of vegetation growing in the clearing.

"A vegetable garden, actually," Kiku corrected, letting go of the girl to pull the tarp out.

"D-did you do all of this, Kiku?!" she gasped, taking in the little garden with awe. It was surely a beautiful sight on a clear day!

"Yes...this is my secret base," he explained.

"That amazing!" she exclaimed, "I see... so you came to protect your secret base from the storm, right?!" she realized.

"I-in that case!" she decided, taking one end of the tarp Kiku'd brought. "Please, let me help!"

Kiku blinked, staring that look of determination the girl wore for a moment, before a smile appeared on his face.

"That's very kind of you, Bennett-san..." Kiku told her, "You're a very kind person, aren't you...?"

"E-eh?!" Jocelyn blushed, "Ehhhh~~?!" exclaimed, "B-but... No, that's... Th-this is the first time anyone's ever really told me that!" she said at last, not quite sure how to protest the compliment without being rude.

"I-it makes me really happy!" she flailed, "Oh, b-but how can I be sure I'm n-not just acting kind so people think I'm a good person?!" she gasped, wondering if it could be true.

"..." Nope, he was pretty sure it was all genuine when it came to Bennett-san, Kiku thought, sweating.

"Oh, but, y'know... Mom did tell me it's better to trust people than to doubt them," she said, smiling as she held the tarp down, no longer flailing now that she'd managed to calm herself down.

"She said that people aren't born with kind hearts. See, when we're born, all we have are desires for food and material things.

"Selfish instincts, I guess," she decided.

Kiku blinked, somehow managing to continue nailing the tarp down on his side as he listened to the girl speak, amazed by the expressiveness of her face, motions, and very being.

"She said kindness is something that grows inside us," Jocelyn continued, a small, warm smile growing as she remembered her mother's words. "But it's up to us to nurture that kindness in our hearts...

"That's why kindness is different for every person."

_'We're all born with selfish desires, so we can all relate to those feelings in others._

_'But kindness is something made individually by each person, so it's easy to misunderstand when others are trying to be kind to you.'_

_'...But Jo...'_

She smiled. "Mom taught me that peoples' differences are something to celebrate," she told Kiku, "When I thought about all the shapes that human kindness could come in -imagining them as round, or square... I got really excited!" she exclaimed.

"Kiku, your kindness is like a candle," she decided, bewildering the boy. "I can feel it light up, and I just want to smile! It's that kind of kindness..."

"Ah!" she gasped, realizing what she'd just said. "A-am I being too weird for you now?" she asked, a bit flustered by the little speech she'd given.

"Ah.. N-no-! Not at all!" Kiku told her. "I'm sorry, I just feel... rather pathetic... when I think about how pessimistic I can be..." he admitted.

After such an inspirational speech...

"Ah..." Jocelyn flushed, "I-I'm sorry... B-but-! Please, don't!" she insisted, looking right into the brunette's eyes. "Even if you forget about the positive things, sometimes, at least you're honest about it, right?"

Kiku blinked, but nodded slowly. Suuuure...? Well, in a way, it was sort of true... But thinking about that... though he didn't say much... was he really that obvious?

"And!" she continued, startling the brunette. "You know, I... was really happy that you were able to confide in me," she told him.

The brunette blinked, perplexed, what did she mean by-?

"Coming to tell me about what happened back then, even though you could've simply left it when I never would have known," she continued, sparking something in the boy's memory.

Left...what...?

"And you even agreed to stay my friend even if my memories were erased!" she smiled.

Oh. _Oh_. But that wasn't-

"I... learned something about you that day," she admitted, smiling as she recalled the frustrated expression he wore when he admitted that she might be forced to forget. How he wouldn't be able to stop _that_ person if he decided to make it happen...

He had been _worried_ about her, and...

"It... meant a lot to me, you know," she told him, a sincere little half-smile on her face as the other teen's protests died in his throat.

It was true, after all. And, though he may have thought that she hadn't actually noticed, she _had_ heard him properly that time.

_'You... You're not...sickened...by me...?'_ And it had hurt a little, to realize that something like that had happened to him before, that he had been _hurt_ in such a way...

"When I learn things about you like that -all those little things that people might not notice, that you yourself might not even..." she explained, recalling the look of surprise on his face when she'd gotten the kitchen clean so quickly, learning about how the 'prince' of their school had a hidden manipulative (and possibly sadistic) streak despite his kindness...

"I... really feel like we can be friends, you know...?" she told him, unaware of the look of shock the Japanese teen sported.

Such a thing...

"A-ah! I'm so sorry! I-I'm being rude, aren't I?" she realized, thinking that it could be taken the wrong way.

Almost immediately, Kiku snapped out of his shock, though he was still somewhat surprised by the revelation.

"N-no! Not at-" Floop! "-all... Ah..." he sweat, realizing he'd accidentally let go of the tarp when he'd been attempting to appease the girl.

Said tarp had flown into the girl's face as soon it was free, the wind pulling it over her head, as it tugged at the cloth.

"S-sorry!" Jocelyn exclaimed, struggling to pull it down again. "I-I'll keep protecting your base!" she promised, a little flustered, as Kiku stared.

...Oops.

"No, it's not your fault," Kiku sweat. It had been his for letting go.

Still, as they worked to protect the little garden he'd built for himself, he couldn't help but smile, warmed by the girl's attempt to cheer him up in her own way.

_'...doubting is easy, anyone can do it. So believe in people, Jocelyn._

_'Be someone who can believe...'_

_'And I'm sure that'll become your strength...!'_


End file.
